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LIBRARY 

OF  THE                                                                                  ! 

Theological   Seminary, 

PRINCETON,    N.J.                                  ' 

Case,., 

....^Q.W. Piy.'sio     .                 

Slielf, 

/    /w.IX«-Secti.5n....                   

Book, 

N» 

I 


X 


\ 


x\ 


\ 


A 

DISCOURSE 

ON  THE 

NATURE,  DESIGN,  AND  INSTITUTION, 

OF   THE 

HOLY  EUCHARIST, 

COMMONLY  CALLED   THE 

SACRAMENT  OF  THE  LORD'S  SUPPER. 

BY  ADAM  CJLARKE,  LL  D 

PKINCPAL    L.BKARIAN  TO   THE   SCItRV   INSTITUTIOK, 
AUTHOBOPTHE  COMMENlIuY  ON  THE  HOLV  EIBIE. 

• I  - JOHN  XV.   14. 

TO  WHICH  ARE  ADDED 
''  ^^^^^^^/OA-  OFms  SMALLER  TI^ACTS  . 

INCLUDING 

TWO  SERMONS. 


NEW-YORK: 

"""""";::•  "'"'^^''^'  ^^^  — ■  -« «... . 

AND  jr.  E.  WATSON,  PHrLADElPHrA.  ' 

roul  avd  Thoma,,  pri„,r,. 


1812. 


ADYERTISEMEN  r. 


For  a  cansiderahle  time  past,  I  had  formed  the  desi^rn 
of  offering  for  publication  the  various  tracts  of  Dr. 
Adam  Clarke,     My  reasons  were  briefly  these : 

I  perceived  an  uncommon  eagerness  in  every  person 
ivith  whom  I  conversed  respecting  this  very  learned,  and 
justly  celebrated  man,  to  he  in  possession  of  all  which  he 
had  produced.  This  ciraimstance  I  saw  woiild  induce 
some  one  to  take  up  his  detached  pieces,  as  they  from  time 
to  time  fell  into  their  hands,  and  print  them,  probably,  from 
the  first  editions,  in  a  less  perfect  state  than  I  had  it  in 
my  power  to  do.  Ever  since  I  settled  in  this  country,  tlie 
Author,  as  a  testimony  of  truit  contimied  friendship, 
which  had  subsisted  for  a  number  of  years,  hadregidarly 
transmitted  to  me  the  latest  editions  of  all  his  publica- 
tions ;  and  I  believe  several  of  them  were  never  in  any 
one^s  hands  hit  my  own.  I  tJierefore  considered  that 
a  more  complete  collection  was  not  likely  to  come  from  any 
other  soiirce. 

Being  anxious,  however,  that  the  Author  should,  if  ne- 
cessary, make  any  alterations,  and  add  any  other  pieces 
which  he  tnight  have  by  him  in  manuscript,  J  apprised  him, 
in  the  beginning  of  the  last  year,  of  my  intention.  He  re- 
plied: "-That  owing  to  his  attention  being  exclusively 
called  to  the  completion  of  his  Commentary  on  the  Bible, 


4  ADVERTISEMENT. 

ke  could  not,  (hiring  the  period  of  preparing  iiiat  work 
for  the  press,  add  any  thing  to  his  tnisccllaneous  works, 
besides  what  were  already  before  the  pvblicy  Uithout 
any  directions,  however,  from  him  for  that  pm  pose,  I  was 
tcft  at  full  liberty  to  reprint  such  as  1  was  possessed 
of.  Wliether  or  not  a  republication  of  the  whole  woiddhave 
met  his  approbation  I  cannot  tell ;  but  as  I  think  each 
tract  has  its  value,  either  for  the  illustration  of  Chris- 
tian doctrine,  or  the  sreneral  interests  of  learning ;  and 
as  taken  togethx;r  they  show  the  varied,  and  extensive 
learning,  or  the  deep  piety  of  the  Author,  I  believe  the 
readers  of  Dr.  Clarke  will  not  find  fault  that  I  have  given 
too  much. 

J  believe  also  the  collection  here  given  includes  all  Dr. 
Clurke's  smaller  tracts,  with  the  exception  of  his  "  Let- 
ter to  a  Methodist  Preacher.'"  There  is  one  other  ivork 
however,  which  I  hope  one  day  to  have  reprinted  here, 
though  the  period  must  be  at  some  distance  ;  I  mean  his 
''Succession  of  Sacred  Literature.''  The  Jirst  volume  I 
have  in  my  possession  ;  the  second,  which  completes  his  de- 
sign, cannot  be  given  to  the  public,  until  his  great  work 
hefmislicd.  Shoidd  his  valuable  life  be  spared  until  after 
that  time,  he  is  pledged  to  brins;  the  above  7vork  to  a  con- 
clusion ;  and  which  i?ichides  a  history  of  sacred  litera- 
ture froi7i  the  first  dawn  of  letters  down  to  the  discovery 
of  the  Art  of  Printing. 

Neat-Yorjk,  Feb.  10,  181?. 

/   F. 


PREFACE. 


--.*<^x©Ci^»-x 


In  the  folioM-ing  Discoui-se,  I  have  aimed,  not  at  new 
discoveries  in  theology,  but  to  do  justice  to  a  subject  mis- 
conceived  bymost,  andneglected  bymany.  A  subject  of 
the  utmost  consequence  to  divine  Revelation,  and  to  the 
edification  of  the  church  of  God.  I  shall  not  say,  in  or- 
der to  vmdicate  its  publication,   that  ,t  was  done  in  con- 

ZTTn^     T'^'°''  "f'-^P^»'«d  impoitunityof  manr 
espectable  friends....Whatever  may  be  owing  to  privat^ 
friendship,   is  undoubtedly  a  high  and  imperTous  Ly  to 
d^chaige;  but  no  man  can  be  excused  in  obtruding  on  the 
S    7v  ""/"rf^  "^  "«''-'  by  such  motives  as 
I    Ll  .1      ^  ^       ""™'  '  ^""^'''^^  ^  »•'«  designed 
triaf  of    l,e'T  """  '  '"""""'"  '^■"•^"■'""•ance  of  the  doc 
me  of  the   Atonement.     In  this  point  of  view    I 
hougnt  It  was  not  commonly  considered  by  the  .enerali- 
.y  o  Christians :  and  as  I  saw  various  opinfons  subCve 
of   itsnatoe  and  design  prevailing  Jong  profer^H 
aid,  I  n.U  aUo  shorv  r,y  opunon  ;  io  doing'which  ,1  ^h 
I  have  IrougU  my  knan,Mge  from  afar,Ib..^^  endef 
^■o^-^^^-iio  ascribe  ri.Mcausness  to  mvM.kcr 


A    2 


PREFACE. 


In  looking  over  my  work  I  feel  but  little  pleasure  at 
the  appearance  of  so  many  quotations  in  strange  charac- 
ters. I  can  say  in  my  \indication,  I  did  not  seek  these  ,• 
the}  presented  themselves  on  the  respective  subjects  with 
which  are  they  connected  ;  and  I  accepted  their  assistance, 
judging  that  with  many  their  testimony  would  go  farther 
than  my  own.  The  plain  unlettered  reader  will  have  no 
reason  to  complain  of  these,  as  the  sense  of  each  is  care- 
fully given ;  and  the  man  of  learning  will  not  be  dis- 
pleased to  have  the  originals  presented  here  to  his  view, 
which  he  might  not  have  always  at  hand.  These  tilings 
excepted,  I  have  endeavoured  to  be  as  plain  and  as 
clear  as  possible.  I  have  affected  no  elegance  of  style : 
this,  my  subject  did  not  require,  plain  common  sense  was 
all  I  aimed  at.  I  have  not  even  given  the  work  the  form 
of  a  sermon;  and  by  the  rules  of  such  compositions,  I 
hope  no  man  will  attempt  to  judge  of  it.  I  began  it  in 
tJie  name  of  God,  and  I  sincerely  dedicate  it  to  his 
^\ory.  May  his  blessing  accompany  the  reading  of 
it!  And  may  the  important  Doctrine  of  the  Atone- 
ment made  by  the  death  of  Christ,  which  It  is  chiefly 
intended  to  illustrate  and  defend,  have  free  course, 
run  and  be  glorified,  and  mighty  deeds  be  done  in  the 
name  of  Jesus  ! 

My  whole  mind  on  the  execution  of  this  work,  I  may 
express  in  the  following  words  of  an  ancient  writer :  "  If 
I  have  done  well,  and  as  is  fitting  the  story,  it  is  that 
which  I  desired :  but  if  slenderly  and  meanly,  it  is  that 
which  I  could  attain  unto,... and  here  shall  be  an  end^" 


INTRODUCTION. 


An  ExaminatioQ  of  the  Question,  Did  our  Lord  eat 
the  Passover  nvitk  his  Disciples  on  the  last  Year  of  his 
public  Ministry? 

As  I  shall  have  occasion  frequently  to  refer  to  this 
subject  in  the  ensuing  Discourse ;  a  subject  on  which  the 
Christian  world  has  been  divided  for  at  least  1 500  years, 
the  reader  will  naturally  expect  to  find  some  notice  ta~ 
fcen  of  the  controversy  concerning  it ;  and  although  a  de- 
cision on  the  case  cannot  be  expected,  yet  a  fair  statement 
of  the  principal  opinions  which,  at  different  times,  have 
been  held  and  defended  by  learned  men  should  undoubt- 
edly be  given. 

With  no  show  of  propriety  could  such  a  controversy 
be  introduced  into  the  body  of  a  Discourse  on  the  Na- 
ture and  Design  of  the  Lord's  Supper ;  and  yet  the  vieAv 
I  have  taken  of  this  ordinance  is  so  intimately  connected 
with  the  Passover  in  general,  that  to  pass  by  the  controver- 
sy in  silence  would  by  many  be  deemed  inexcusable.  I 


8  INTRODUCTION. 

shall  therefore  briefly  state  the  priacipa^  opiiiious  on  this 
quest  on,  the  reasonings  by  which  they  are  supported,  and 
take  the  liberty  to  notice  that  one  especially,  Avhich  I  judge 
to  come  nearest  to  the  truth.  The  chief  opinions  are  the 
four  following : 

I.  Clirist  did  not  eat  the  Passover  on  the  last  year  of 
his  ministry. 

II.  He  did  eat  it  that  year,  and  at  </w;  same  time  with 
the  Jews. 

III.  He  did  eat  it  that  year,  but  not  at  the  same  time 
with  the  Jews. 

IV.  He  did  eat  a  Passover  of  his  ovm  instituting, 
but  widely  different  from  that  eaten  by  the  Jcavs. 

I.  The  first  opinion,  that  our  Lord  did  not  eat  the 
Passover,  is  thus  maintained  by  Dr.  Wall,  in  his  critical 
notes  on  Matt.  xxvi.  1 7. 

"  Here  occurs  a  question,  and  a  difference  between  the 
words  of  St.  John  and  the  other  Three  (Evangelists,)  con- 
cerning the  day  of  the  week  on  which  the  Jews  kept  the 
Passover  that  year,  4746.  A.  D.  33.  It  is  plain  by  all 
the  four  Gospels,  that  this  day  on  which  Christ  did,  at 
night,  eat  the  Passover,  (or  what  some  call  the  Passover) 
was  Thursday.  And  one  would  think,  by  reading  the 
Three,  that  that  was  the  night  on  which  the  Jews  did  eat 
their  Passovcr-hamh  ;  but  all  the  texts  of  St.  John  are 
clear  that  they  did  not  eat  it  till  the  next  night,  Friday 
nighty  before  which  night  Christ  was  crucified  and  dead, 
having  given  up  the  ghost  about  the  ninth  hour,  viz. 
three  of  the  clock  in  the  afternoon.  St.  John  dors  speak 
of  a  supper  which  Christ  did  eat  on  Thursday  night  with 
his  Apostles,  ch.  xiii.  1 2 ;  but  he  does  not  call  it  a  Pass- 
over-.suppcr,  but,  on  the  contrary,  says,  it  was  before  {he 
feast  of  the  Passover,  :r^«   rv^   io^rr,<;  rov  rra.u-xct  3  by 


INTRODUCTION.  9 

wliicli,  I  thiiik,  lie  means  the  daij  before  the  Passover,  or 
the  Passover  eve,   as  ue  should  say.     Now  this  was  the 
same  night  and  saiiie  supper,  which  the  Three  do  call 
the  Passover,  and  Christ's  eating  the  Passover.     I  mean, 
it  was  the  night  on  which  Christ  was  (a  few  hours   after 
supper)  apprehended ;   as  is  plain   by  the    last   verse  of 
that  thirteenth  chapter.     But  the  next  day  (Friday,  on 
which  Christ  was  crucified)  St.  John  makes  to  be  the 
Passover-day.      He   says,    (ch.   xviii.    28.)   the   Jews 
would  not  go  into  the  Judgment-hall  on  Friday  morn'- 
ing,  lest  they  should  be  defiled,   but   that  they  might 
eat  the  Passover,   viz.  that  evening.     And  ch.  xix.  1 4. 
speaking  of  Friday-noon,  he  says,  it  was  the  preparation  of 
the  Passover.     Upon  the  Avhole,  John  speaks  not  of  eat- 
ing the  Passover  at  all ;  nor,  indeed,  do  the  Three  speak 
of  his  eating  any   lamb.     Among   all   the    expressions 
which  they  use,  of  making  ready  the  Passover;  prepare 
for  me  to  eat  the  Passover  ;  with  desire  have  I  desired  to 
eat  this  Passover  with  you,  Szc.  there  is  no  mention  of  any 
la?nb  carried  to  the  Temple  to  be  slain  by  the  Levitts,  and 
then  brought  to  the  house  and  roasted :   there  is  no  men- 
tion of  any  food  at  the  supper  besides  bread  and  wine » 
perhaps,   there  might  be  some  bitter  herbs.     So  that  this 
seems  lo  have  been  a  commemorative  supper,  used  by  our 
Saviour  instead  of  the  pvoper  paschal  shipper,  the  eating  of 
a  lamb,  Avhich  should  have  been  the  next  night,  but  that 
he  himself  was  to  be  sacrified  before  that  time  would 
come.     And   the  4iflference  betAveen  St.  John  and  the 
others  is  only  a  difference  in  words  and  in  the  names  of 
things.  They  call  that  the  Passover,  which  Christ  used  in- 
stead of  it.     If  you  say,   why  then  does  Mark,  xiv.  12. 
call  Thursday  the  first  day  of  unleavened  bread,   when 
the  Passover  must  be  killed;  \i^  must  note  theu-  day  (or 
vvx^7iiLt£§ev)  was  from  evening  to  evening.     This  Thursday 
evening  was  the  beginning  of  that  natural  day  of  twenty-. 


10  INTRODUCTION. 

four  hours,  towards  the  end  of  wliich  the  lainh  w  as  to  be 
killed;  so  it  is  proper,  in  the  Jews'  Avay  of  calling  days, 
to  call  it  that  day." 

II.  He  did  eat  the  Passover  that  year,  and  at  the  same 
time  with  the  Jews. 

I.  The  late  Dr.  Newcorae,  archbishop  of  Armagh,  is 
of  a  very  different  opinion  from  Dr.  Wall ;  and,  from  a 
careful  collation  of  the  passages  in  the  Evangelists,  con- 
cludes, "  That  our  Lord  did  not  anticipate  this  feast,  but 
partook  of  it  with  the  Jews,  on  the  usual  and  national 
day." 

"It  appears,''  says  he,  "from  the  gospel-history,  (see 
Mark  xv.  42.  xvi.  9.)  that  our  Lord  was  crucified  on  Fri- 
day. But  the  night  before  his  crucifixion,  on  which  he 
V^as  betrayed,  1  Cor.  xi.  23.  he  kept  the  Passover,  and 
that  he  kept  it  at  the  legal  time  is  thus  determined.  In 
Matt.  XX vi.  2.  and  in  Mark  xiv.  1.  it  is  said  that  the 
Passover,  >co6<  rot,  etl^vi^cc,  were  after  two  days,  or  on  the 
day  following  that  on  Avhich  Jesus  foretold  his  sufferings 
and  resurrection  to  his  disciples.  Matt.  xvi.  21,  &:c. 
Mark  viii.  31,  6zc.  and  Luke  ix.  22,  &c. 

"  The  Evangelists,  proceeding  regularly  in  their  his- 
tory, Matt.  xxvi.  17.  and  in  the  parallel  places,  Mark 
xiv.  12,  &c.  Luke  xxii.  7,  &:c.  mention  is  made  of  this 
day,  and  it  is  called  the  first  day  of  unleavened  bread, 
when  they  killed  the  Passover,  i.  e.  by  general  custom : 
and  St.  Luke  says  thr^t  ti.e  day  came^  which,  ver.  1.  was 
approaching,  when  the  Passover  77iust  be  killed ;  i.  e.  by 
the  law  of  Moses.  The  14th  of  Nisnn  is  tlierefore 
meant;  which  is  called  -zs-^ort}  x^v,u.6>vy  the  first  of  unlea- 
vened bread. 

"  During  the  week,  therefore,  of  our  Ijord's  passion, 
the  laAv  of  Moses  re(ju?red  that  the  Passover  slionld  be 
slain  on  Thursday  afternoon ;  but  our  Lord  partook  of  it 


INTRODUCTION.  11, 

ou  the  iiiglit  immediately  succeeding;  jVIatt.  xxvi,  19, 
20;  and  the  parallel  places,  Luke  xxii.  14,  15;  and 
therefore  he  partook  of  it  at  the  legal  time. 

"Mark  xiv.  12.  Luke  xxii.  7.  equally  prove  that  the 
Jews  kept  the  Passover  at  the  same  time  with  Jesus. 

"To  the  objection,  John  xviii  28.  that  the  Jews 
avoided  defilement  that  they  might  eat  the  Passover,  the 
Bishop  answers,  that  they  meant  the  paschal  sacrifices 
offered  for  seven  days ;  and  ihey  spoke  particularly  in 
reference  to  the  15th  of  JN'isan,  Avhich  was  a  day  of  holy 
convocatio!!. 

To  the  objection  taken  from  John  xix.  1 4.  that  the  day 
on  which  our  Lord  was  crucified,  is  called  Trx^ecTKevi}  rov 
•rctc-xety  the  preparation  of  the  passover,  he  replies,  that 
in  Mark  xv.  42.  Trx^ua-Kew,  preparation,  is  the  same  as 
TF^oc-ccQQocTov,  the  day  before  the  Sabbath  ;  and  so  in  Luke 
xxiii.  54;  therefore  by  Tcu^uTKevij  rovprocT^ec,  we  may  un- 
derstand the  preparation  before  that  Sabbath  which  hap- 
pened during  the  Paschal  festival."  This  is  the  substance 
of  \^  hat  Archbishop  Newcome  says,  both  in  his  Harmony 
and  Notes.     See  the  latter,  pp.  42.... 45. 

To  this  it  is  answered  that  the  opinion,  which  states 
that  our  Lord  ate  the  Passover  the  same  day  and  hour 
with  the  Jews,  seems  scarcely  supportable.  If  he  ate  it 
the  same  hour  the  Jews  ate  theirs,  he  certainly  could  not 
have  died  that  day,  as  they  ate  the  Passover  on  Friday, 
about  six  o'clock  in  the  evening;. ...if  he  did  not,  he  must 
have  been  crucified  on  Saturday,  the  JeAvisIi  Sabbath, 
and  could  not  have  risen  again  on  the  first  day  of  tlie 
week,  as  all  the  Evangelists  testify,  but  on  the  second,  or 
Monday,  which  I  suppose  few  will  attempt  to  support.  On 
this  and  other  considerations,  I  think  this  point  should  be 
given  up.     But  others  argue  thus : 

"  That  Christ  intended  to  eat  a  Passover  with  his  dis- 
ciples on  tliis  occasion,   and  intensely  desired  it  too,   we 


12  INTRODUCTION. 

have  tlie  fullest  proof  from  tlie  three  first  Evangelists. 
See  Matt.  xxvi.  1,  2,  3,  17....20.  Mark  xiv.  1,  12....16. 
Luke  xxii.  1,  7....13.  And  that  he  actually  did  cat  one 
^vith  them  must  appear  most  evidently  to  those  who  shall 
carefully  collate  the  precediiijEj  Scriptures,  and  especially 
what  St.  Luke  says,  c.  xxii.  7....18. ;  for  when  Peter  and 
John  had  received  their  Lord's  command  to  go  and  pre- 
pare the  Passover,  it  is  said,  v.  1 3,  they  went  and  Jmind 
as  he  had  said  tinto  them;  and  they  made  ready  the 
Passover  :  i.  e.  got  a  lamb,  and  prepared  it  for  the  pur- 
pose, according  to  the  law.. ..v.  14.  And  when  the  hmir 
was  come  (to  eat  it)  he  sat  down,  cicvi7r£(r£,  and  the  twelve 
Apostles  with  hitn,  v.  1 5,  and  he  said  unto  them.,  with  de- 
sire have  I  desired  to  eat  this  Passover  with  you  before  I 
stiff er :  w  here,  it  is  to  be  noted,  that  they  had  now  sat 
down  to  eat  that  Passover  which  had  been  before  pre- 
pared, and  that  every  word  which  was  spoken  is  peculiar- 
ly proper  to  the  occasion.  With  desire,  says  our  Lord, 
have  I  desired  tovto  to  TrscT^a.  <pocyetv,  TO  eat  this  very 
Passover;  noi  ta-diei))  to  vxo-y^ocy  io  eat  a  Passover,  or 
something  coinmemmorative  of  it,  but  revro  re  Truo-^a,, 
THIS  very  Passover  :  and  it  is  no  mean  proof  that  they 
were  then  in  the  act  of  eating  the  flesh  of  the  paschal 
Iamb,  from  the  use  of  the  verb  <psc'y£iv,  which  is  most  pro- 
per to  tlie  eating  of  flesh,  as  erdieiv  signifies  eating  in  ^e- 
Dcral,  or  eating  bread,  pulse,  &;c.  The  same  word,  in 
reference  to  the  same  act  of  eating  the  Passover,  not  to 
the  bread  and  Avine  of  the  holy  supper,  is  used,  vcr.  16. 
For  I  say  unto  you  I  will  not  any  more  eat  thereof,  ev  f>tt} 
c^xya  f|  ccvrtv,  I  will  not  Cat  of  Him  or  IT,  viz.  the  pas- 
chal lamb,  until  it  be  fulfilled  in  the  kingdom  of  God  ; 
i.  e.  this  shall  be  the  last  Passover  I  shall  celebrate  on 
earth,  as  I  am  now  alx>ut  to  suffer,  and  tlie  kingdom  of 
God,  the  plenitude  of  the  gospel  dispensation,  shall  imme- 
diately take  place.     And  then,    according  to  this  Evan- 


INTRODUCTION.  13 

gf'libt,  liaving  iiiiished  the  eating  of  the,  paschal  lamb,  he 
instituted  the  bread  of  the  Holy  Supper,  ver.  19.  ami 
afterwards  tlie  cup,  ver.  20.  though  he  and  they  had  par- 
taken of  tlie  cup  of  blessings  (usual  on  such  occasions) 
with  the  paschal  lamb,  immediately  before.  See  ver.  17. 
Whoever  carefully  considers  the  whole  of  this  account, 
must  be  convinced  that,  whatever  may  come  of  tlie  ques- 
tion concerning  the  time  of  eating  the  Passover,  that  our 
Lord  did  actually  eat  one  with  his  disciples  before  he  suf- 
fered." What  this  Passover  most  probably  v,  as,  we  shall 
see  under  the  fourth  opinion. 

III.  He  did  eat  the  Passover  that  year,  but  7iot  at  the 
same  time  Avith  the  Jews. 

3.  Dr.  Cudworth,  who  of  all  others  has  handled  this 
subject  best,  has  proved  from  the  Talmud,  Mishna,  and 
some  of  the  most  reputable  of  the  Jewish  Rabbins,  that 
the  ancient  Jews  about  our  Saviour's  time,  often  solemniz- 
ed as  well  the  passovers  as  the  other  feasts,  upon  the  ferias 
next  before  and  after  the  sabbaths.  And  that  as  tlie  Jews  in 
ancient  times  reckoned  the  new  moons  not  according  to  as- 
tronomical exactness,  but  according  to  the  <pccTt<;,  or  moon's 
appearance :  and,  as  this  appearance  might  happen  a  day  la- 
ter than  the  real  time,  consequently  there  might  be  a 
whole  day  of  difference  in  the  time  of  celebrating  one  of 
these  feasts,  Avhich  depended  on  a  particular  day  of  the 
month ;  the  days  of  the  month  being  counted  fi-om  the 
<^ecTig,  OY  appearance  of  the  new  moon.  As  he  describes 
the  Avhole  manner  of  doing  this,  both  from  the  Babylonish 
Talmud,  and  from  Maimonides,  I  shall  give  an  extract 
from  this  part  of  his  work,  that  my  readers  may  have 
the  whole  argument  before  them. 


14  I4s^TR0DUCTI0N. 

"In  the  gieat  or  outer  court  tliere  was  a  house  called 
Beih  Yasekf  where  the  senate  sat  all  the  30th  day  of 
every  month,  to  receive  the  witnesses  of  the  moon's  ap- 
pearance, and  to  examine  them.  If  there  came  approved 
witnesses  on  the  30th  day,  who  could  state  they  had  seen 
the  new  moon,  the  chief  man  of  the  senate  stood  up,  and 
cried  ty*<pD  mekuddash,  it  is  satidified;  and  the  people 
standing  by  caught  the  a\  ord  from  him,  and  cried,  mekud- 
dash !  nukuddash !  But  if,  when  the  consistory  had  sat 
all  the  day,  and  there  came  no  approved  Avitnesses  of  the 
phasis,  or  appearance  of  the  new  moon,  then  they  made 
an  intercalation  of  one  day  in  the  former  mouth,  and  de- 
creed the  following  one-and-thirtieth  day  to  be  the  calends. 
But,  if  after  the  fourth  ox  fifth  day,  or  even  before  tlie  end 
%f  the  month,  respectable  witnesses  came  from  far,  and 
testified  they  had  seen  the  new  moon,  in  its  due  time :  the 
senate  were  bound  to  alter  the  begianiiig  of  the  montli, 
and  reckon  it  a  day  sooner,  viz.  from  the  thirtieth  day. 

"As  the  senate  were  very  unwilling  to  be  at  the  trou- 
ble of  a  second  consecration,  when  they  had  even  fixed 
on  a  wrong  day,  and  therefore  received  ^^ry  reluctantly 
the  testimony  of  such  witnesses  as  those  last  mentioned, 
they  afterwards  made  a  statute  to  tl)is  effect.... T^a/  nhat- 
soevcr  time  the  senate  shoidd  conclude  on  for  the  calends 
of  the  month,  though  it  were  certain  they  were  in  the 
wi^ong,  yet  all  were  bound  to  order  tJieir  jeasts  accord- 
ing to  it.  This  Dr.  Cudworth  supposes,  actually  took 
place  in  the  time  of  our  Lord,  and  "  as  it  is  not  like- 
ly that  our  Lord  woidd  submit  to  this  pei*version  of  the 
original  custom,  and  that  folloAving  the  true  ^eco-/^,  or  ap- 
pearance of  the  new  moon,  confirmed  by  sufticient 
Avitnesses,  he  and  his  disciples  ate  the  Passover  on  that 
day ;  but  the  Jews,  following  the  pertinacious  decree  of 
the  Sanhedrin,  did  not  cat  it  till  the  day  follo>*ing."    Dr. 


INTRODUCTION.  Ift 

C.  further  shows  from  Epiphanius,  that  there  was  a  eon- 
tcnlion^  6opv^o<;y  a  twnult,  among  the  Jews  about  the  Pass- 
over, that  very  year.  Hence,  it  is  likely,  tliat  what  was 
the  real  paschal  day  to  our  Lord,  his  disciples,  and  many 
other  pious  Jews,  Avho  adopted  the  true  (pccTi^  phasis,  was 
only  the  preparation  or  antecedent  evening  to  others,  who 
acted  on  the  decree  of  tlie  senate.  Besides,  St  is  worthy 
of  note,  that  not  only  the  Karaites^  who  do  not  acknow- 
ledge tlie  authority  of  the  Sanhedrin,  but  also  tlie  Rah' 
bins  tliemselves  grant,  that  where  tlie  case  is  doubtful,  tlie 
Passover  should  be  celebrated  7vitk  the  same  ceremonies^ 
two  days  together :  and,  it  was  always  doubtful,  when  the 
appearance  of  the  new  moon  could  not  be  fully  ascertain- 
ed. 

Bishop  Pear£e  supposes,  that  it  was  lawful  for  the  Jews 
to  eat  tiie  paschal  lamb  at  any  time,  between  the  evening 
of  Thursday,  and  that  of  Friday ;  and,  that  this  permissioa 
was  necessary,  because  of  the  immense  number  of  lambs 
which  were  to  be  killed  for  that  purpose :  as  in  one  year, 
there  were  not  fewer  than  256,500  lambs  offered.  See 
Josephus's  War,  b.  vii.  c.  9.  sect.  3.  In  Matt.  xxvi.  ver. 
17.  it  is  said,  now  the  fust  daij  of  the  feast  of  unleavened 
bread,  (tjj  ^e  tt^ut^  rut  x^vf4,m)  the  disciples  came  to  Jesus, 
saying  unto  him,  where  wilt  thou  that  we  prepare  for  thee 
to  eat  the  Passover  ?  As  the  feast  of  unleavened  bread, 
did  not  begin  till  the  day  after  the  Passover,  the  fifteenth 
day  of  the  month,  (Lev.  xxiii.  5,  6.  Num.  xxviii.  16, 17.) 
this  could  not  have  been  properly  the  first  day  of  that 
fea^st :  but  as  the  Jews  began  to  eat  unleavened  bread  on 
the  fourteenth  day,  (Exod.  xii.  18.)  this  day  was  often 
termed  ihe  first  of  unleavened  bread.  Now  it  appeal's,  that 
the  Evangelists  use  it  in  this  sense,  and  call  even  the  pas- 
chal day  by  this  name,  see  Mark  xiv.  12.  Luke  xxii.  7. 

At  first  viev/  this  third  opinion,  which  states  that  Christ 
did  eat  tl-e  Passover  with  his  disciples  that  year,  but  not 


16  iTiTriioDLcnoN. 

in  the  same  hour  with  the  Jews ;  and  that  he  expiied  on 
the  cross  the  same  liour  in  which  the  paschal  lamb  was 
killed,   seems  the  most  probable.     For  it  appears,  from 
what  has  already  been  remarked,  that  our  Lord  and 
his  disciples  ate  the  Passover  some  hours  before  the  Jews 
ate  theirs ;   for  they,  according  to  custom,  ate  theirs  at 
the  end  of  Vlie  fourteenth  day,  but  Christ  appears  to  have 
eaten  his  the  preceding  evening,  which  was  the  beginning 
of  the  same  sixth  day  of  the  week,  or  Friday,  for  the  Jews 
began  their  day  at  stin-setling  ;  we  at  nnd-night.     Thus 
Christ  ate  the  Passover  the  safne  day  with  the  Jews,  but 
not  on  the  saitu  hmir.     Christ,  therefore,  kept  this  Pass- 
over the  begimiing  of  the  fourteenth  day,  the  precise  day 
in  which   the  Jews  had   eaten  their   first  Passover  in 
Egypt:  see  Exod.  xii.  6.. ..12.     And  in  the  same  part  of 
the  same  day  in  which  they  had  sacrificed  their  fii-st  pas- 
chal lamb,  viz.  between  the  two  evenings,  i.  e.  between  the 
sun's  declining  west  and  his  setting,  about  the  third  hour, 
Jesus  our  Passover  was  sacrificed  for  us.     For  it  was 
about  the  third  hour,  (Mark  xv.  25.)  when  Christ  was 
nailed   to  the  cross,  and  about  the  ninth  hour,   (Matt. 
xxvii.  46.  Mark  xv.  34.)     Jesus  knowing  that  the  Ante- 
type  had  accomplished  every  tiling  shadowed  forth  by  the 
Type  or  Paschal  Lamb;  he  said,  it  is  finished,  rsreXso- 
rat  completed,  yerjectcd,  and  having  thus  said,  he  bowed 
his  head  aad  dismissed  his  spirit.     TrccpeS'cjKs  ro  Trnvf-toc. 
John  xix.  30. 

Probably  there  is  but  one  objection  of  any  force  that 
lies  Pgainst  the  opinion,  that  our  Lord  ate  his  passover 
some  hours  before  the  Jews,  in  general,  ate  theirs;  which 
is,  tliat,  if  our  Lord  did  eat  the  Passover  the  evening  before 
the  JeAvs,  in  general,  ate  theirs,  it  could  not  have  been  sa- 
crificed according  to  the  law ;  nor  is  it  at  all  likely  that 
the  blood  was  sprinkled  at  the  foot  of  the  altar.  If» 
therefore,  the  blood  was  not  thus  sprinkled  by  one  of  tho 


INTRODUCTION.  H 

priests,  that  which  constituted  the  very  essense  of  the  rite 
as  ordained  by  God,  Avas  lacking  in  tliat  celebrated  by 
oiu"  Lord. 

To  this  it  may  be  answered.. ..First,  we  have  already 
seen  that,  in  consequence  of  the  immense  number  of  sa- 
crifices to  be  offered  on  the  Paschal  solemnity,  it  was 
highly  probable  the  Jews  were  obliged  to  employ  two 
days  for  this  work.  It  is  not  at  all  likely  that  the  blood 
of  256,500  lambs  could  be  shed  and  sprinkled  at  one  al- 
tar, in  the  course  of  one  day,  by  all  the  priests  in  Jeru- 
salem, or  indeed  in  the  Holy  Land ;  since  they  had  but 
that  one  altar  where  they  could  legally  sprinkle  the  blood 
of  the  victims. 

Secondly,  we  have  also  seen  that,  in  cases  of  doubt  re- 
lative to  the  time  of  the  appearance  of  the  new  moon,  the 
JcAvs  were  permitted  to  hold  the  Passover  both  days ;  and 
that  it  is  probable  such  a  dubious  case  existed  at  the  time 
in  question.  In  any  of  these  cases,  the  lamb  might  have 
been  killed  and  its  blood  sprinkled  according  to  tlie  rules 
and  ceremonies  of  the  Jewish  church. 

Thirdly,  as  our  Lord  was  the  true  Paschal  Lamb,  who 
was,  in  a  few  houi*s  after  this  time,  to  bear  away  the  sin 
of  the  Avorld,  he  might  dispense  with  this  part  of  the  ce- 
remony, and  act  as  Lord  of  his  own  institution  in  this, 
as  he  had  done  before  in  the  case  of  the  Sabbath.  At 
any  rate,  as  it  seems  probable  that  he  ate  the  Passover  at 
this  time,  and  that  he  died  about  the  time  the  Jew& 
offered  theirs,  it  may  be  fully  presiuned  that  he  left  o- 
thing  undone  towards  a  due  performance  of  the  rite, 
wliich  the  present  necessity  requiied,  or  the  law  of  God 
could  demand. 

Tlie  objection,  that  our  Lord  and  his  disciples  appear 
to  have  sat  or  reclined  at  table  all  the  time  they  ate  what 
is  supposed  above  to  have  been  the  Passover,  contrary 
to  the  paschal  institution,   which  required  them  to  eat  it 


18  JfrNTRODUCTION. 

standing,  with  their  staves  in  their  hands,  tlieir  loins  gii'd- 
ed,  and  their  shoes  on,  cannot  be  considered  as  having 
any  gieat  ay  eight  in  it;  for,  though  the  terras  ctveTreo-e, 
Matt.  xxvi.  20.  and  emKuro,  Luke  xxii.  14.  are  used  in 
reference  to  then-  eating  that  evening,  and  these  words 
signify  reclining  at  table^  or  on  a  couch,  as  is  the  custom  of 
the  Orientals,  it  does  not  follow  that  they  must  necessarily 
be  restrained  to  that  meaning ;  nor  does  it  appear  that 
this  part  of  the  ceremony  was  much  attended  to,  perhaps 
not  at  all,  in  the  latter  days  of  the  Jewish  church. 

IV.  He  did  eat  a  Passover  of  his  own  institutiog,  but 
widely  different  from  that  eaten  by  the  Jews. 

4.  Mr.  Toinard,  in  his  Greek  Harmony  of  the  Gos- 
pels, strongly  contends,  that  our  Lord  did  not  eat  what  is 
commonly  called  the  Passover  this  year,  but  another,  of 
a  mystical  kind.     His  chief  arguments  are  the  following : 

It  is  indubitably  evident,  from  the  text  of  St.  John,, 
that  the  night  on  the  beginning  of  which  our  Lord  supped 
with  his  disciples,  and  instituted  the  holy  sacrament,  was 
not  that  on  which  the  Jcavs  celebrated  the  Passover ;  but 
the  preceding  evening,  on  which  the  Passover  could  not 
be  legally  offered.  The  conclusion  is  evident  from  the 
following  passages:  John  xiii.  L  Now  before  the  feast 
•f  the  Passover,  Jesus  knoAving,  &c....v.  2.  And  supper 
(not  the  paschal,  but  an  ordinary  supper)  being  ended, 
&C....V.  27.  That  thou  doest,  do  quickly.. ..v.  28.  Now 
no  one  at  the  table  knew  for  what  intent  he  spake  this.... 
V.  29.  For  some  thouglit,  because  Judas  had  the  bag, 
that  Jesus  had  said  unto  him :  Buy  what  we  have  need 
of  against  the  feast,  &c....Ch.  xviii.  28.  Then  led  they 
Jesus  from  Caiaphas  to  tlie  Hail  of  Judgment,  and  it: 
was  early ;  and  they  themselves  went  not  into  the  Judg- 
ment-Hall lest  they  should  be  defiled,  but  that  they  might 
<?at  the  Passover.... Ch.  xlx.  14.  And  it  was  the  Prepara:- 


INTRODUCTION,  19 

lion  ot  the  Passover,  and  about  the  sixth  hour.  Now,  as 
it  appears  tliat,  at  tliis  time,  tlte  disciples  thought  oiu* 
Lord  had  ordered  Judas  to  go  and  bring  Avhat  Avas  ne- 
cessary for  tlie  Passover,  and  they  were  then  supping  to- 
gether, it  is  evident  it  was  not  the  paschal  lamb  on  which 
they  were  supping ;  and  it  is  as  evident,  from  the  umvil- 
liiigness  of  the  Jews  to  go  into  the  Hall  of  Judgment^ 
that  they  had  not  as  yet  eaten  the  Passover.  These 
words  are  plain,  and  can  be  taken  in  no  other  sense  with- 
out offering  them  the  greatest  violence. 

Mr.  Toinard,  having  found  that  our  Lord  was  crucifi- 
ed on  the  sixth  day  of  the  week,  (Friday)  during  the 
paschal  solemnity,  in  the  thirty-thud  year  of  the  vulgar 
3era,  and  that  the  paschal  moon  of  that  year  was  not  in 
conjunction  with  the  sun  till  the  afternomi  of  Thursday 
the  19th  of  March,  and  that  the  new  moon  could  not  be 
seen  in  Judea  until  the  folloAviug  day,  (Friday)  conclu- 
ded, that  the  intelligence  of  the  <ptc(riq,  or  appearance  of 
the  new  moon,  could  not  be  made  by  the  witnesses  to  the 
beth  din,  or  senate,  sooner  than  Saturday  morning,  the  21st" 
of  March.  That  the  first  day  of  the  first  Jewish  month, 
Nisan,  could  not  commence  that  thuty-third  year  sooner 
than  the  setting  of  the  sun  on  Friday,  March  20th ;  and, 
consequently,  that  Friday,  April  3d,  on  which  Christ 
died,  was  the  1 4th  of  Nisan^  (not  the  1 5th)  the  day  ap- 
pointed by  law  for  the  celebration  of  the  Passover.  All 
these  points  he  took  care  to  have  ascertained  by  the  ni- 
cest astronomical  calculations,  in  which  he  was  assisted 
by  a  vei7'  eminent  astronomer  and  mathematician,  Bulli- 
aldus  (Mr.  Bouilleau.) 

These  two  last  opinions,  apparently  contradictory,  and 
which  alone,  of  all  those  offered  on  the  subject,  deserve 
consideration,  may  be  brought  to  harmonize.  That  Je- 
sus ate  the  Passover  with  his  disciples  the  evening  before 


20  INTRODUCTION. 

the  Jews  ate  theirs,  seems  pretty  clearly  proved  from  the 
text  of  St.  L.ukc,  and  the  arguments  founded  on  that  text. 

All  that  is  assumed  there,  to  make  the  Avhole  consis- 
tent, is,  that  the  Jews,  that  year,  held  the  Passover  both 
on  the  13th  and  14th  of  Nisan,  because  of  the  reasons 
already  assigned ;  and  that  therefore  Peter  and  John,  who 
were  employed  on  this  business,  might  have  got  the  blood 
legally  sprinkled  by  the  hands  of  a  priest,  which  was  all 
that  was  necessary  to  the  legality  of  the  rite. 

But,  secondly,  should  it  appear  improbable  that  such 
double  celebration  took  place  at  this  time,  and  tliat  our 
Lord  could  not  have  eaten  the  Passover  that  year  with 
his  disciples,  as  he  died  on  the  very  hour  on  which  the 
paschal  lamb  was  slain,  and  consequently  before  he  could 
legally  eat  the  Passover;  hoAv  then  can  the  text  of  St. 
Luke  be  reconciled  with  this  fact  ?  I  answer,  with  the  ut- 
most ease,  by  substituting  a  Passover  for  the  Passover;  and 
simply  assuming,  that  our  Lord  at  this  time  instituted  the 
Holy  Eucharist  in  place  of  the  Paschal  Lazmb;  and 
thus  it  will  appear  he  ate  a  Passover  with  his  disciples  the 
evening  before  his  death,  viz.  the  mystical  Passover,  or 
Sacrament  of  his  body  and  blood ;  and  that  this  was  the 
Passover  which  he  so  ardently  longed  to  eat  with  his  dis- 
ciples before  he  suffered.  This  is  the  opinion  of  Mr. 
Toinard,  and,  if  granted,  solves  every  difTiculty.  Thus 
the  whole  controversy  is  brought  into  a  very  narrow 
compass  :....our  Lord  did  eat  a  Passover  witli  his  disci- 
ples some  short  time  before  he  died  :....the  question  is,  what 
Passover  did  he  eat....the  regular  legal  Passover,  or  a 
mystical  one?  That  he  ate  a  Passover  is,  I  think, 
demonstrated ;  but  whether  the  literal  or  mystical  one  is  a 
matter  of  doubt.  On  this  point,  good  and  learned  men 
may  innocently  hesitate  and  dKT(!r :  but,  on  either  hypo- 
thesis,  the  text  of  the  Evangelists  is  uuimpeadrdble. 


INTRODUCTION.  21 

and  all  shadow  of  contradiction  done  away ;  for  the  ques- 
tion then  rests  on  the  peculiar  meaning  of  names  and 
words.  On  this  hypothesis,  the  preparation  of  the  Pass- 
over must  be  considered  as  implyiiig  no  more  than....l. 
Providing  a  convenient  room... .2.  Bringing  water  for  the 
baking  on  the  following  day,  because  on  that  day  the 
bringing  of  the  water  would  have  been  unlawful....3. 
Making  inquisition  for  the  leaven,  that  every  thing  of  this 
kind  might  be  removed  from  the  house  where  the  Passo- 
ver vras  to  be  eaten,  according  to  the  very  strict  and  aw- 
ful command  of  God,  Exod.  xii.  15.. ..20.  xxiii.  15.  and 
xxxiv.  25.  These,  it  is  probable,  were  the  acts  of  pre- 
paration which  the  disciples  were  commanded  to  perform, 
Matt.  xxvi.  18.  Mark  xiv.  13,  14.  Luke  xxii.  8....11. 
and  which,  on  their  arrival  at  the  city,  they  punctually 
executed.  See  Matt.  xxvi.  19.  Mark  xiv.  16.  Luke 
xxii.  13.  Thus  every  thing  was  prepared,  and  the  holy 
sacrament  instituted,  which  should,  in  the  Christian 
church,  take  place  of  the  Jewish  Passover,  and  conti- 
nue to  be  a  memorial  of  the  sacrifice  which  Christ  was 
about  to  make  by  his  death  on  the  cross ;  for,  as  the  pas- 
chal lamb  had  shewed  forth  his  death  till  he  came,  this 
death  fulfilled  the  design  of  the  rite,  and  sealed  up  the 
vision  and  prophecy. 

All  preparations  for  the  true  paschal  sacrifice  being 
now  made,  Jesus  was  immediately  betrayed,  shortly  af- 
ter apprehended,  and  in  a  few  hours  expired  upon  the 
cross.  It  is,  therefore,  very  likely  that  he  did  not  lite- 
rally eat  the  Passover  this  year;  and  may  I  not  add,  that 
it  is  more  than  probable  that  the  Passover  was  not  eaten 
in  tlie  whole  land  of  Judea  on  this  occasion.  The  rend- 
ing of  the  vail  of  the  Temple,  (Matt,  xxvii.  51.  Mark 
XV.  38.  Luke  xxiii.  45.)  the  terrible  earthf'uake,  (Matt, 
xxvii.  ^^...S  4.)  the  dismal  and  unnatural  darkness  which 
was  over  the  whole  land  of  Judea  from  the  sixth  hour 


22  INTRODUCTION. 

(twelve  o'clock)  to  the  ninth  hour,  (i.  e.  three  o'clock  in 
the  afternoon,)  with  all  the  otlier  prodigies  which  took 
place  on  tliis  awful  occasion,  we  may  naturally  conclude 
were  more  than  suflicient  to  terrify  and  appal  this  guilty 
nation,  and  totally  to  prevent  the  celebration  of  the  paschal 
ceremonies.  Indeed,  the  time  in  which  killing  the  sacri- 
fices, and  sprinkling  the  blood  of  the  lambs  should  have 
been  performed,  was  wholly  occupied  with  tliese  most 
dreadful  portents ;  and  it  would  be  absurd  to  suppose  tliat, 
under  such  terrible  evidences  of  the  divine  indignation^ 
amy  religious  ordinances  or  festive  preparations  could  pos- 
sibly have  taken  place. 

My  readers  will,  probabl>\  be  surprised  to  see  the  pre- 
ceding opinions  so  dissentient  among  themselves,  and  the 
plausible  reasons  by  whicli  they  are  respectively  support- 
ed, where  each  seems  by  turns  to  prevail.  When  I  took 
up  the  question,  I  had  no  suspicion  that  it  was  encumber- 
ed with  so  many  difficulties.  These  I  now  feel  and  ac- 
knowledge ;  nevertheless,  I  think  the  plan  of  reconciling 
the  texts  of  the  Evangelists,  particularly  St.  Luke  and  St. 
Jolm,  which  I  have  adopted  above,  is  natural,  and  I  am 
in  hopes  will  not  appear  altogether  unsatisfactory  to  my 
readers.  On  the  subject,  circumstanced  as  it  is,  hypothe- 
sis alone  can  prevail ;  for  indubitable  evidence  and  cer- 
tainty  cannot  be  obtained.  The  morning  of  the  resurrec- 
tion is,  probably,  the  nearest  period  in  which  accurate  in- 
formation on  this  point  can  be  expected.  "  Je  suis  trmn- 
pe,''  says  Bouilleau,  "  .si  cctte  question  pent  etre  jamais 
bien  eclaircie. "".... li  I  be  not  mistaken,  this  question  will 
never  be  thoroughly  understood. 


DISCOURSE 
ON    THE    NATURE    AND    DESIGN 

OF    THE 

EUCHARIST, 

OR 
SACRAMEJ^  OF  THE  LORD'S  SUPPEM, 


\J0  this  in  remembrance  of  me,  is  a  command  by 
which  our  blessed  Lord  has  put  both  the  atiiection  and 
^iety  of  his  disciples  to  the  test.  If  they  love  him,  they 
will  keep  his  commandments ;  for,  to  them  that  love,  his 
commandments  are  not  grievous.  It  is  a  peculiar  excel- 
lence  of  the  Gospel  oeconomy,  that  all  the  duties  it  en- 
joins become  the  highest  privileges  to  those  that  obey. 

Among  the  ordinances  prescribed  by  the  Gospel,  that, 
commonly  called  the  Sacrament  of  the  Lord's  Svpper,  has 
ever  held  a  distinguished  place ;  and  the  church  of  Christ, 
In  all  ages,  has  represented  the  due  religious  celebration 
of  it  as  a  duty  incumbent  on  every  soul  that  professed 
faith  in  Christ  Jesus,  and  sought  for  solvation  through  his, 
blood  alone.  Hence,  it  was  ever  held  in  the  highest  esti- 
mation and  reverence ;  and  the  great  High  Priest  of  his 


34  A    DISCOURSE    ON    THE    NATURE 

chiirdi  shewed,  by  more  than  ordinary  influences  of  his 
blessed  Spirit  on  the  souls  of  the  faithful,  that  they  had 
not  mistaken  his  meaning,  nor  believed  in  vahi ;  while,  by 
eating  of  that  bread,  and  drinking  of  tliat  cup,  they  en- 
deavoured to  shcAV  forth  his  death,  and  realize  the  bene- 
fits to  be  derived  from  it. 

If  Jesus,  in  his  sacrificial  character,  met  with  opposition 
from  the  inconsiderate,  the  self-righteous,  and  the  profane ; 
HO  wonder  that  an  ordinance,  instituted  by  himself  for  the 
express  purpose  of  keeping  up  a  continual  memorial,  by 
means  of  the  most  expressive  emblems,  of  his  having 
died  for  our  offences,  was  decried,  neglected,  and  abused. 
The  spirit  of  innovation  and  error  left  no  means  untried  to 
pei-vert  its  meaning,  restrain  its  influence,  and  decry  its 
effects ;  but  the  true  followers  of  God  overcame  all  by  the 
blood  of  the  Lamb,  and  by  theu*  testimony ;  and,  for  hold- 
ing fast  faith  and  a  good  conscience  in  reference  to  this 
sacred  ordinance,  how  many  of  them  were  cruelly  tortur- 
ed ;  and  not  a  few,  on  this  very  account,  gloriously  main- 
taining the  truth,  were  obliged  to  seal  it  with  their  blood. 

The  sanguinary  persecutions,  raised  up  in  this  land 
against  the  protestants,  in  the  days  of  that  weak  and  worth- 
less queen,  Mary  I.  were  levelled  principally  against  the 
right  use  of  this  ordinance.  It  was  not  because  our  fathers 
refused  to  obey  the  then  constituted  authorities  of  the  state, 
that  they  were  so  cruelly  and  barbarously  oppressed  and 
murdered ;  it  ^vas  not  because  they  were  not  subject  to 
every  ordinance  of  man,  not  only  for  wrath  (for  fear  of  pu- 
nishment) but  for  conscience  sake,  that  they  hpd  trial  of 
cmel  mockings ;  but  because  they  believed  concerning  this 
divine  ordinance  as  Jesus  Christ  had  taught  them,  and 
boldly  refused  to  prefer  the  ignorance  of  man  to  the  wis- 
dom and  authority  of  God. 


AND   DESIGN   OF    THE   EUCHARIST.  25 

The  abomination  which  maketh  desolate  had  got  into 
the  holy  place :  the  State,  corrupt  and  languid  in  every 
department,  had  resigned  the  administration  of  all  affairs 
into  the  hands  of  a  church  illiterate  and  profligate  beyond 
all  example  and  precedent.  In  this  awful  situation  of  af- 
fairs, tlie  genuine  folloA\  ers  of  God  shewed  themselves  at 
once,  not  in  opposition  to  a  tyrannical  government,  but  in 
opposition  to  a  corrupt  and  unprincipled  priesthood.  They 
rvould  not,  because  they  could  not  believe,  that  a  little 
flour  and  water  kneaded  together,  and  baked  in  the 
oven,  were  the  body  and  blood  of  the  Saviour  of  the 
world....the  God  who  made  the  heavens  and  tlie 
earth,  and  the  only  object  of  religious  adoration!.... 
"Away,"  said  the  murderous  priests,  "with  sucli  fellows 
from  the  earth !  they  are  not  fit  to  live :  let  them  have 
judgment  without  mixture  of  mercy,  and  anticipate  their 
final  damnation  by  perishing  in  the  flames  '."....And  the-"^, 
rather  tlian  defile  their  conscience  or  deny  their  God,  em- 
braced death  in  its  most  terrific  forms ;  and,  through  the 
medium  of  Smithfield  flames,  were  hurried  into  a  distin- 
guished rank  among  the  noble  army  of  martyrs ! 

"  Godlike  men !  how  firm  they  stood ! 
Seeding  then-  country  with  their  blood." 

[n  this  most  honourable  contest,  besides  the  vast  numbei^s 
who  suffered  by  fines,  confiscation,  and  imprisonment,  not 
less  than  277  persons  fell  a  sacrifice  to  the  ignorance,  bi- 
gotry, and  malevolence  of  tlie  papal  hierarchy.  Among 
these  were,  one  archbishop, /o2/r  bishops,  twenty-one 

CLERGYMEN,  ciglit  LAY  GENTLE3IEN,  eiglvty-foUY  TRADES- 

3IEN,  one  hundred  rv^bx^bjulevi,  fifty-five  women,  and 

four  children,  who  were  all  btirnt  alive,  and  this  with 

circumstances  of  cruelty  and  horror,  which  surpassed  the 

bloodiest  persecutions  of  pagan  antiquity !  But  they  con- 


26  A   DISCOURSE   ON    THE   NATURE 

quered,  and  were  glorious  in  their  death ;  and  have  hand- 
ed down  to  us,  uncorrupted,  those  living  oracles,  and  that 
holy  worship^  which  were  their  support  and  exultation  in 
the  cloudy  and  dark  day.  Do  their  descendants  lay  these 
things  to  heart,  and  prize  that  holy  ordinance,  on  ac- 
count of  which  their  forefathers  suffered  the  loss  of  all 
things  ?  Are  we  indifferent  whether,  on  this  point,  ortho- 
doxy or  heterodoxy  prevail  ?  Or,  Avhat  is  of  inlinitely 
worse  consequence,  have  Ave  so  neglected  or  misused  this 
holy  ordinance,  until  we  have  at  length  ceased  to  discern 
the  Lord's  body  ?  Is  it  not  to  be  feared  that  the  sacrament 
of  the  Lord's  supper  has  fallen  into  disuse  with  many, 
because  they  do  not  understand  its  nature  and  moral  ob- 
ligation ?  And  can  it  be  deemed  invidious  to  express  a 
fear,  that,  possibly,  much  of  the  blame  attaches  to  the  mi- 
nisters of  the  gospel,  because  they  are  remiss  in  urging  the 
com.mandment  of  their  Lord,  and  sheAving  the  high  privi- 
leges of  those  Avho  conscientiously  obey  it  ?  To  remedy  this 
defect,  as  far  as  it  relates  to  myself,  I  shall  endeavour  to 
set  before  the  reader  some  observations  on 


I.  The  Nature  and  Design  of  this  institution. 


II.  The  Manner  of  its  celebration. 

III.  The  proper  meaning  of  the  different  Epidiets 
given  to  it  in  the  Scriptures,  and  by  the  primitive  church. 
And, 

IV.  Add  a  fcAV  reasons  to  enforce  the  due  and  re- 
ligious celebration  of  it,  principally  deduced  from  the  pre- 
ceding observations. 

1 .  As  our  blessed  Lord  celebrated  this  ordinance  im- 
mediately after  his  eating  Avhat  St.  Luke  calls  the  Pass- 


AND    DISIGN    OF    THF    FLCHARIST.  27 

ever  with  his  disciples,  and  for  whicli  I  shall  by  and  bye, 
prove  he  intended  it  to  be  tlie  sithsiibde ;  it  may  be  nc- 
cessaiy  to  say  a  few  words  on  that  ancient  rite,  in  order 
the  more  particularly  to  discern  tlie  connexion  subsisting 
between  them,  and  tlie  reference  they  have  to  each  other. 

The  Passover  (nD2  pcsacli)  was  a  sacrifice  ordained  by 
the  Lord  in  memory  of  Jehovah's  passing-over  (according 
to  the  import  of  the  word)  the  houses  of  the  Israelites, 
when  he  destroyed  all  the  firstborn  in  the  land  of  Egypt ; 
and  was  certainly  designed  to  prefigure  not  only  the  true 
paschal  lamb,  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  who  was  sacrificed 
for  us,  (1  Cor.  v.  7.)  but  also  the  reception  which  tliose 
might  expect  who  should  flee  for  refuge  to  lay  hold  on  the 
hope  set  before  them,  by  the  sprinkling  of  the  blood  of 
Jesu?.  As  this  is  a  point  of  considerable  importance,  in 
reference  to  a  right  understanding  of  the  Nature  and  De- 
sign of  the  Lord's  Supper,  it  may  be  necessary  to  shew 
more  particularly,  both  from  the  Scriptures  and  the  an- 
cient Jewish  and  Christian  writers,  that  the  paschal  lamb 
was  considered  by  them  aS  a  sacrifice  of  a  piacular 
nature. 

God  had  required  that  all  sacrifices  should  be  brought 
to  the  Tabernacle  or  Temple,  and  there  offered  to  him; 
and  this  was  particularly  enjoined  in  respect  to  the  Pass- 
aver  :  SO  Dent.  xvi.  5.  Thou  shall  not  sacrifice  the  Pass- 
over nithin  any  of  thy  gates,  bid  at  the  place  7vhich  the 
Lord  thy  God  chooseth  to  place  his  name  in,  there  thou 
shall  sacrifice.  And  this  divine  injunction  was  more  par- 
ticularly attended  to  in  the  case  of  the  Passover  than  in 
any  other  sacrifice ;  so  that  the  ancient  Jcavs  themselves 
have  remarked,  that,  even  in  the  time  when  high  places 
were  permitted,  they  dared  not  to  sacrifice  the  Passover 
any  where  but  in  that  place  where  God  had  registered  Iiis 


28  A   DISCOURSE   ON    THE   NATURE 

name.  Thus  Maimonides,  in  Halachah  Pesach,  c.  1. 
Dr.  Cudwortli,  %vho  has  written  excellently  on  this  sub- 
ject, has  proved  at  large  from  the  Scriptures  and  the  an- 
cient Jewish  doctors,  that  the  Passover  was  ever  consider- 
ed by  them  as  a  sacrificial  rite.  To  which  may  be  add- 
ed, that  Josephus  considered  it  in  the  same  light,  by  call- 
ing it  Qvc-tct,  A  Sacrifice;  and  Tr}-pho,  the  Jew,  in  his 
conference  witli  Justin  MartjT,  speaks  of  ^^o^urev  roo 
:recTp^cc^  hiivy  SACRIFICING  the  pttschttl  lamb.  Maimo^ 
ni(Jes,  in  tlie  tract  above  referred  to,  written  expressly  on 
this  subject,  speaks  of  the  lamb  as  a  victim,  and  of  the  so- 
lenmity  itself  as  a  sacrifice.  Another  of  their  best  wri- 
ters, Rab.  Bechai,  Com.  in  Levit.  ii.  11.  says,  that  "the 
paschal  sacrifice  was  instituted  in  order  to  expiate  the 
guilt  contracted  by  the  idolatrous  practices  of  the  Israel- 
ites in  Egj^t."  And  St.  Paul  puts  the  matter  beyond  dis- 
pute, by  saying,  t«  TruTy^u.  Tif^av  vttb^  r.fjcav  £6v6i)  X?*'^^''' 
our  Passover^  Christ,  is  sacrificed  for  us  ;  vttc^  vnA^m,  on 
our  account,  or  in  our  stead.  It  is  worthy  of  remark,  that 
when  the  Passover  was  first  instituted,  a  lamb  Avas  slain 
in  every  family,  not  by  the  hands  of  a  priest,  for  that 
would  have  been  impossible,  as  only  one  existed  wlio  had 
been  divinely  appointed ;  hxxihj  i\w.  firstborn  in  every 
family,  who  were  all  considered  as  priests,  till  the  conse- 
cration of  the  whole  tribe  of  Levi  to  tliis  office ;  in  conse- 
quence of  whicli  the  firstborn  were  redeemed,  i.  e.  ex- 
empted from  this  service,  by  paying  a  certain  sum  to  the 
sanctuaiy. 

Justin  Martyr,  in  his  conference  with  Tr}'pho  the  Jew, 
maintains  this  sentiment  in  a  very  strenuous  manner, 
shcAving  from  the  Scriptures,  and  the  nature  of  this  sacri- 
ficial rite,  that  it  Avas  a  type  of  Christ  crucified  for  the 
sin  of  the  world.  One  circumstance  Avhich  he  asserts, 
without  contradiction  from  his  learned  opponent,  is.   I 


AND  DESIGN   OF   THE  EUCHARISt.  29 

think,  worthy  of  notice ;  whether  the  reader  may  think  it 
of  much  consequence  to  the  present  subject  or  not.  "  Tliis 
Iamb,"  says  he,  "  which  was  to  be  entirely  roasted,  was 
a  symbol  of  the  punishment  of  the  cross,  Avhich  was  in- 
flicted on  Chl'ist.  To  yx^  oTrraixevov  tt^oQcctov,  c^>if<,XTt}- 
^»ft£Vov  e,ifcOi&»5  Tea  <r^vjfA.ATi  rov  c-retv^ov,  o'^rccroci.  E<$ycsf 
ofiSteg  oZiXia-Kc^  S'iU9re^ovxrxi  ctTro  rm  Kccrurctrm  ^i^m  f^^e^^i 
T'^?  xfip«A'«}5,  xxt  f/5  ^ocXiv  KXTet  TO  ff^ercc^^evov,  n  cr^otrcc^- 
rmrect  kcci  ut  x^i^eq  rov  tc^oQc&tov,  "  For  the  lamb  which 
iras  roasted  was  so  placed  as  to  resemble  the  figure 
of  a  cross:  with  one  spit  it  was  pierced  lorgltudi- 
nally,  from  the  tail  to  the  head ;  witli  anotlier  it  was  trans- 
fixed through  the  shouldei*s,  so  that  the  fore-legs  became 
extended."  Vid.  Just.  Martyri  Opera  ah  Oberthur.  Vol. 
ii.  p.  100.  To  some  this  may  appear  trifling;  but  it  has 
seemed  right  to  the  Avisdom  of  God  to  typify  the  most  in- 
teresting events  by  emblems  of  comparatively  less  moment. 
He  is  sovereign  of  his  own  ways,  and  he  chooses,  of  ten  to 
confound  the  wisdom  of  the  wise,  not  only  by  the  foolish- 
ness of  preaching,  but  also  by  the  various  inea^is  he  em- 
ploys to  bring  about  the  great  purposes  of  his  grace  and 
justice.  The  manner  of  this  roasting  was  certainly  sin- 
gular ;  and  of  the  fact  we  cannot  doubt,  for  Trj-pho  him- 
self neither  attempted  to  ridicule  nor  deny  it. 

But,  while  I  am  considering  the  testimony  of  Justitt 
3Iartyr,  there  is  another  passage  still  more  extraordinary^ 
which  I  wish  to  place  before  the  reader.  In  his  dispute 
with  this  learned  and  captious  Jew,  he  asserts,  that  the 
Jews,  through  their  enmity  to  the  Christian  religion, 
had  expunged  several  passages  from  the  sacred  writings, 
which  bore  testimony  to  Christ,  and  to  his  vicarious 
sufferings  and  death ;  and  of  which  (at  the  challenge  of 
Trypho,  who  denied  the  fact)  he  prorluces  several:  in- 
stances, among  which  the  following  is  the  most,  remauk- 


30  A   DISCOURSE   ON    THE   NATURE 

able  :....When  Ezra  celebrated  the  Passover,  as  is  related 
Ezra  vi.  19,  &c.     Justin  says,   bespoke  as  follows :.... 

Kxi  eiTev  Eir^^ecs  ru  Xdo),  tovto  t&  7rx<r^oc  o  iruTV)^  »;/«•«*,  nui 
r,  fcxrcapvy))  ti/K^av  xx(  exv  ^txvo))6i}T£,  kcci  uvx'cI}  fjM,<wy  (Trt  t^jv 
xxod^ixv,  cTi  in.e?\.?\.of4.ev  uvtov  TeCTreivovv  ev  a-r,[A.eiu,  xect  /ttsTot 
TXVTcc  eXTTicraf^iv  t-TT^  uvroVf  ov  fA,e  e^i}fA.u6tj  o  roTrcq  evreq  e/5 
Tov  ecTxvTx  X^^^°^>  Mysi  0  ©eo5  Tft»v  ^vvxf^eav.  Exv  J'f  f^-^ 
T/rffc-'jrf    uvTcj^   f^yi^e   ei^xxovci^re    rov  Krj^vy/K.xTeg   uvtov, 

£Ti<r6£  iTTixet^f^oc  r^K;  t6ye<n.  "  Aud  Ezra  spoke  unto  the 
people,  and  said :...."  This  Passover  is  our  Saviour 
and  our  Refuge  :  and  if  ye  shall  understand  and  ponder 
it  in  your  heai't,  that  v,e  shall  afflict  him  for  a  si«:n;  and 
if  afterwards  we  shall  believe  on  him,  this  place  shall  not 
be  desolated  for  ever,  saith  the  Lord  of  Hosts.  But  if 
ye  will  not  believe  on  hi3i,  nor  hear  his  preaching,  ye- 
shall  be  a  laughing-stock  to  the  Gentiles."  Vid.  Just. 
Martyri  Opera  ah  Oberthur,  Vol.  ii.  p.  196.  This, 
Justin  asserts,  the  Jews  had  blotted  out  of  the  Septuagint 
translation ;  and,  if  so,  they  took  care  to  expunge  it  from 
fclie  Hebrew  also;  for,  at  present,  it  exists  in  neither. 
Allow  ing  this  passage  to  be  authentic,  it  is  a  full  proof 
cf  my  poii^ition,  that  the  paschal  lamb  was  an  expiatory 
sacrifice,  and  that  it  prefigured  the  death  and  atonement 
of  Jesus  Christ.  But  of  this  the  proofs  already  pro- 
duced are  sufficient ;  particularly  that  from  St.  Paul,  in- 
dependently of  the  quotation  from  Justin  Mart^T. 

It  is  also  worthy  of  remark,  that,  even  after  the  con- 
secration of  the  tribe  of  Levi,  and  the  redemption  of  the 
fu-stborn,  it  w  as  the  custom  for  the  people  to  kill  their 
own  Passovers;  but  the  sacrificial  act,  the  sprinkling  oi 
the  bloody  belonged  solely  to  the  priests.  "  Five  things," 
says  Rab.  Abaii)anel,  "  Avere  to  be  done  by  tliose  who 
brought  a  sacrifice,  and  five  things  by  the  priest.  The 
fijrst  five  wej^.-...l.  liaying  on  of  haQds....2.  Killing...-s 


iVND    DESIGN    OF    THE    EUCHARIST.  31 

3.  Flaying.... 4.  Cutting  up.... 5.  Washing  the  intestines. 
Those  done  by  the  priests  were....  1.  Receiving  the  blood 
into  a  vessel.... 2.  Sprinkling  it  upon  the  altar....3.  Putting 
the  fire  upon  the  altar....4.  Laying  the  Avood  in  order 
upon  the  fire.. ..5.  Putting  the  pieces  of  the  victim  in  order 
on  the  wood."  Here  we  see  the  part  which  both  the 
people  and  priests  took  in  their  sacrifices ;  and  these  cir^^ 
cumstances  will  give  us  additional  light  in  another  part 
of  this  discourse  :  only  we  must  observe,  that  the  paschal 
lamb  was  never  cut  up,  or  burnt ;  it  Avas  roasted  whole, 
and  eaten  by  the  offerer  and  his  family. 

The  manner  of  celebrating  the  paschal  sacrifice  is  par- 
ticularly detailed  in  the  Mishna,  "  A  monument  of  such 
antiquity  as  cannot,"  says  Dr.  Cudworth,  "be  distrusted 
in  these  rites."  Nothing,  say  the  Rabbins,  was  killed 
before  the  morning  sacrifice,  and  after  the  evening  sacri- 
fice nothing  but  the  Passover.  The  evening  sacrifice 
was  usually  killed  between  the  eighth  and  ninth  hour, 
i.  e.  half  an  hour  after  two  in  the  afternoon,  and  offered 
between  the  ninth  and  tenth,  i.  e.  half  an  hour  after  three. 
But,  in  the  evening  of  the  Passover,  the  daily  sacrifice 
was  killed  an  hour  sooner ;  and  after  that  began  the  kill- 
ing of  the  Passover,  Avhich  was  to  be  done  between  the 
two  evenings,  tD":2''^^n  ^2  been  hadrbayeem,  Exod.  xii. 
6. ;  the  first  of  these  began  at  noon,  from  the  sun's  decli- 
nation towards  the  Avest,  and  the  second  at  sunset.  But 
the  paschal  lamb  might  be  killed  before  the  daily  sacri- 
fice, provided  there  Avas  a  person  to  stir  the  blood  and 
keep  it  from  coagulating,  till  the  blood  of  the  daily  sa- 
crifice was  sprinkled;  for  that  was  always  sprinkled  first, 
Tlie  lambs,  says  the  Mishna,  were  always  killed  by 
three  several  companies :  this  they  founded  on  Exod.  xii. 
6.  And  the  ivhole  AASEisiBLY  of  <^e  congregation  ^ 
Israel  shall  kill  it  in  the  evenings  understanding  the 


32  A   DISCOURSE   ON    THE   NATURE 

words  Snp  kahal,  m>*  edeth^  and  Sj^ik?"'  yishracl^  as  im- 
plying tliree  different  companies ;  by  tlie  first  they  meant 
the  priests,  by  the  second  the  Levites,  and  by  the  third 
the  people  at  large :  when  once  the  Court  was  full,  they 
shut  to  the  doors,  and  the  priests  stood  all  in  their  ranks, 
A\  ith  round-bottomed  vessels  in  their  hands,  some  of  gold, 
and  some  of  silver,  to  receive  the  blood.  Those  who 
held  tlie  golden  vessels  stood  in  a  rank  by  themselves, 
as  did  those  who  held  the  silver  vessels....These  vessels 
had  no  rim  at  the  bottom,  to  prevent  them  from  being 
set  on  the  gi'ound,  lest  the  blood  should  congeal  in  them. 
The  priests  then  took  the  blood  and  handed  it  from  one 
to  another,  till  it  came  to  him  who  stood  next  the  altar, 
who  sprinkled  it  at  the  bottom  of  the  altar.  After  the 
blood  was  sprinkled,  the  lamb  was  hung  up  and  flayed. 
The  hanging  up  was  deemed  essentially  necessary,  inso- 
much that  if  there  was  no  convenience  to  suspend  it» 
two  men,  standing  with  theii*  hands  on  each  other's 
bhoulders,  had  the  lamb  suspended  to  their  arms  till  the 
skin  was  flayed  off.  When  flayed,  it  was  opened,  and 
the  imvards  taken  out  and  laid  on  the  altar;  and  then 
the  owner  took  up  the  lamb  with  its  skin,  and  carried  it 
to  his  own  house.  The  first  company  being  dismissed, 
the  second  came  in,  and  the  door  was  shut  as  before ; 
and  after  these  the  thii-d  company :  and  for  every  com- 
pany they  sang  anew  the  hallel,  SSn  or  paschal  hymn, 
which  begun  with  Psalm  cxiii.  Praise  ye  the  Lord, 
TrHlT\  halleluyah,  and  ended  with  Psalm  cxviii.  This 
singing  continued  tlie  whole  time  employed  in  killing  the 
lambs.  When  they  ended  the  hallel,  they  began  it 
a  second  time,  and  so  on  till  the  thiid  time ;  but  it  was 
never  sung  entirely  the  thu'd  time,  as  ih€  priests  had  ge- 
nerally finished  by  the  time  they  came  to  the  beginning 
of  Psalm  cxvi.  I  love  the  Lord,  because  he  hath  heard 
5»y  voice,  &c.    When  the  lamb  was  brought  home,  tliey 


/lUD   design    of    the   EUCHARIST.  33 

roasted  it  on  a  spit  made  of  the  wood  of  the  pomegranate 
tree ;  for  iron  was  prohibited,  and  also  all  wood  that 
emitted  moisture  when  brought  near  to  the  fire ;  but,  as 
the  wood  of  the  pomegranate  was  free  of  moisture,  it 
was  commanded  to  be  used  on  this  occasion.  See  Mish- 
;ia,  ft?/ Surenhusius,  Vol.  ii.  p.  135.  Tract.  D'^nDS  PesOr 
chim.  These  are  the  most  essential  matters  mentioned  in 
the  Mishna,  relative  to  tliis  solemnity,  some  of  which 
tend  to  cast  much  light  on  oui*  Lord's  words  and  conduct 
on  tliis  occasion. 

That  the  Holy  Eucharist  was  instituted  in  place  of  the 
Passover  has  been  largely  proved  by  many,  as  also  that 
baptism  succeeded  to  circumcision.  Dr.  Waterland,  who 
has  summed  up  the  opinions  of  learned  men  on  this  sub- 
ject, observes,  that  there  are  resembling  circumstances 
common  to  the  Jewish  and  Christian  Passover,  which 
may  be  divided  into  two  kinds....!.  Some  relating  to  the 
things  themselves.... 2.  Some  to  the  phrases  and  fortns 
made  use  of  in  both. 

I.  Of  the  fii-st  sort  are  these  :....!.  The  passover  was 
ol  divine  appointment,  andsoAvasthe  Eucharist.... 2.  The 
Passover  was  a  sacrament,  and  so  is  the  Eucharist.... 
3.  The  Passover  was  a  memorial  of  a  great  deliverance 
from  temporal  bondage ;  the  Eucharist  is  a  memorial  of 
a  greater  deliverance  from  spiritual  bondage.. ..4.  The 
Passover  prefigured  the  death  of  Christ  before  it  was  ac- 
complished ;  the  Eucharist  represents,  or  figures  out, 
that  death  now  past....5.  The  Passover  was  a  kind  of 
feeder al  rite  betAvcen  God  and  man ;  so  is  the  Eucharist, 
as  it  points  out  the  blood  of  the  sacrifice  offered  for  the 
ratification  of  the  covenant  between  God  and  man.... 
6.  As  no  person  could  partake  of  the  paschal  lamb  before 
he  was  circumcised,  Exod.  xii.  43.. ..48,  so,  among  the 


34  A   DISCOURSE    ON    THE    NATURE 

early  followers  of  God,  no  person  was  permitted  to  come 
to  the  Eucharist  till  he  had  been  haptized....!.  As  the 
Jews  were  obliged  to  come  to  the  Passover  free  from  all 
defilements,  unless  in  case  of  burying  the  dead,  which, 
though  a  defilement,  was  nevertheless  unavoidable? 
Numb.  ix.  6,  9. :  so  the  Holy  Scripture  commands  every 
man  to  examine  himself  before  he  attempts  to  eat  of  this 
bread,  or  drink  of  this  cup ;  and  to  purge  out  the  old 
leaven  of  malice  and  wickedness,  1  Cor.  xi.  27. ...29. 
8.  As  the  neglect  or  contempt  of  the  Passover  subjected 
a  man  to  be  cut  off  from  Israel,  Exod.  xii.  15.  Numb. 
ix.  13.;  so,  a  contempt  and  rejection  of,  at  least,  the 
thing  signified  by  the  Holy  Eucharist,  viz.  the  atoning 
sacrifice  of  the  Lord  Jesus,  must  necessarily  exclude 
every  man  from  the  benefits  of  Christ's  passion  and 
death.. ..9.  As  the  Passover  was  to  continue  as  long  as  the 
Jewish  law  was  in  force,  so  the  Eucharist  is  to  continue 
till  Christ  shall  come  to  judge  the  world, 

II.  The  second  sort  of  resembling  circumstances  con- 
cerns the  particular  forms  and  phrases  made  use  of  in 
the  institution....!.  In  the  paschal  supper,  the  master  of 
the  house  took  bread,  and  gave  thanks  to  God,  who  had 
provided  it  for  the  sustenance  of  man.  Our  Lord  co- 
pied this  circumstance  precisely  in  the  institution  of  the 
Eucharist.. ..2.  It  was  also  a  custom  for  the  master  of  the 
house  to  break  the  bread,  either  before  or  after  the  be- 
nediction offered  to  God;. ...that  our  Lord  copied  this 
custom,  eveiy  reader  knoAvs....3.  The  master  of  the 
house  distributed  this  broken  bread,  for  it  does  not  ap- 
pear that  the  family  Avere  permitted  to  take  it  them- 
selves ;  so  our  Lord,  after  liaving  broken  the  bread,  gave 
&  to  the  disciples,  savirig,  Take,  eat,  S:c....i.  In  the  pas- 
chal feast  the  master  was  accustomed  to  take  a  cup  of 
wine,  and  pronounce  a  benediction  to  God,  or  thanks- 


AND   DESIGN    OF    THE   EUCHARIST.  3J 

giving  over  it,  after  which  it  was  termed  the  cup  of  bless- 
ing ;  to  this  circumstance  St.  Paul  particularly  alludes, 
when  he  says,  The  cup  of  blessing  which  ne  bless ^  is  it 
not  the  communion  of  the  blood  of  Christ  7  1  Cor.  x.  1 6. 
....5.  At  the  institution  of  the  Passover,  it  was  said.  The 
blood  shall  be  to  you  for  a  token  upon  the  houses  where 
you  are  ;  and  when  I  see  the  bloody  I  will  pass  over  you, 
&c.  Exod.  xii.  1 3.  The  blood  was  a  token  or  sign  of 
the  covenant^  or  agreement,  then  made  between  God  and 
them,  and  ratified  partly  by  pouring  out  the  blood  of  the 
paschal  lamb,  and  partly  by  feeding  on  the  flesh  of  this 
sacrifice.  In  the  institution  of  the  Eucharist,  our  Lord 
says.  This  cup  is  the  new  coveymnt  in  my  bloody  which  is 
shed  for  you  and  for  many^  for  the  remission  of  sins. 
The  cup^  here,  is  put  for  wine  ;  and  covenant  is  put  for 
the  token  or  sign  of  the  covenant.  The  wine  as  repre- 
senting Christ's  blood,  answers  to  the  blood  of  the  Pass- 
over^ which  was  typical  of  the  blood  of  our  Lord ;  and 
the  remission  of  sins  here,  answers  to  the  passing  over 
there,  and  preserving  from  death....d.  At  the  paschal 
feast,  there  was  a  declaration  of  the  great  things  which 
God  had  done  for  that  people ;  and  our  Lord  makes  use 
of  the  Eucharist  to  declare  and  point  out  the  great  mercy 
of  God  in  our  redemption ;  for  it  shews  forth  the  Lord's 
death,  (and,  consequently,  all  the  benefits  to  be  derived 
from  it,)  till  he  himself  shall  come  to  judge  the  world..... 
7.  At  the  paschal  solemnity,  they  were  accustomed  to 
sing  a  hymn  of  praise  to  God,  (see  before,  p.  32.)  and 
this  part  of  theu-  conduct  our  Lord  and  his  disciples  ex- 
actly copied..... 4 /m/  7vhen  they  had  sung  a  hymn,  they 
departed,  &c. 

The  many  resembling  circumstances,  real  and  verbal, 
abundantly  shcAV,  that  this  holy  Eucharist  Avas,  in  a 
great  measure,  copied  from  the  paschal  feast,  and  was 
intended  to  supply  its  place,  only  heightening  the  design, 


36  A   DISCOURSE   ON   THE  NATURE 

and  improving  the  application.     See  Dr.  Waterland*s 
Review  of  the  Doctrine  of  the  Eucharist,  p.  04,  &c. 

Having  now  proved  that  the  paschal  lamb  was  a  sa- 
crifice, and  seen  that  it  prefigured  the  atonement  made 
by  Christ  our  Passover ;  and  that  in  his  death,  and  the 
circumstances  attending  it,  the  whole  typical  reference 
of  that  solemnity  was  not  only  verified  but  fulfilled :  and 
having  also  seen  that  it  was  in  reference  to  the  great 
atonement  typified  by  the  Passover,  and  also  that  it  was 
in  the  place  of  that  ancient  ordinance  that  our  Lord  in- 
stituted the  holy  sacrament  of  his  last  supper;  I  shall 
now,  more  particularly, 

II.  Consider  this  divine  institution,  and  the  manner  of 
celebrating  it. 

To  do  this  in  the  most  effectual  manner,  I  think  it 
necessary  to  set  down  the  text  of  the  three  Evangelists, 
who  have  transmitted  tlie  whole  account,  collated  with 
tliat  part  of  St.  Paufs  First  Epistle  to  the  Corinthians, 
which  speaks  of  the  same  subject,  and  which,  he  assures 
us,  he  received  by  divine  revelation.  It  may  seem 
strange,  that  although  John  (chap.  xiii.  v.  1....38.)  men- 
tions all  the  circumstances  preceding  the  holy  supper, 
and,  from  chap.  xiv.  1....36,  the  cucumstances  which 
succeeded  the  breaking  of  the  bread,  and  in  cliaptei's  xv. 
xvi.  and  xvii.  the  discourse  which  followed  the  adminis- 
tration of  the  cup ;  yet  he  takes  no  notice  of  the  divine 
institution  at  all.  This  is  generally  accounted  for  on  his 
knoAvledge  of  what  the  other  three  Evangelists  had  writ- 
ten ;  and  on  his  conviction,  that  their  relation  was  true, 
and  needed  no  additional  confirmation,  as  the  matter  was 
amply  established  by  the  conjomt  testimony  of  three  such 
respectable  witnesses. 


AND   DESIGN   O?    THE   EUCHARIST. 


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38  A    DISCOURSE   ON    TH£    NA^TURfi 

From  llie  preceding  barraonized  view  of  this  important 
transaction,  as  described  by  three  Evangelists  and  one 
Apostle,  ive  see  the  first  institution,  nature,  and  design 
of  what  has  been  since  called  The  Lord's  Supper.  To 
eveiy  circumstance,  as  set  down  here,  and  the  mode  6{ 
expression  by  which  such  circumstances  are  described, 
ve  should  pay  the  deepest  attention. 

\,  As  they  were  eating  (Matt.  xxvi.  v.  26.)  either  an 
ordinary  supper  or  the  paschal  lamb,  as  some  tliink....(Sce 
the  Introduction.) 

1.  Jesus  took  br€ad.....Of  what  kind?  Unleavened 
bread,  certainly,  because  there  was  no  other  kind  to  be 
had  in  all  Judea  at  this  time ;  for  this  was  the  first  day 
of  unleavened  bread,  (v.  17.)  i.e.  the  14th  of  the  month 
Nisan,  when  the  Jews,  according  to  the  command  of  God, 
(Exod.  xii.  13....20.  xxiii.  15.  and  xxxiv.  25.)  were  to 
purge  aw  ay  all  leaven  from  theii-  houses ;  for  he  who  sa- 
crificed the  Passover,  having  leaven  in  his  dwelling,  was 
considered  to  be  such  a  transgressor  of  the  diving  law  as 
could  no  longer  be  tolerated  among  the  people  of  God  i 
and,  therefore,  was  to  be  cut  off  from  the  congiegation  of 
Israel.  Leo,  of  Modena,  Avho  has  written  a  very  sensible 
treatise  on  the  Customs  of  the  Jews,  observes,  "  That  so 
strictly  do  some  of  the  Jews  observe  the  precept  con- 
cerning the  removal  of  all  leaven  from  their  houses,  du- 
ring the  celebration  of  the  paschal  solemnity,  that  they 
either  provide  vessels  entirely  new  for  baking,  or  else 
have  a  set  for  the  purpose,  which  are  dedicated  solely  to 
the  service  of  the  PacEOver,  and  never  brought  out  on 
any  other  occasion." 

To  this  divinely  instituted  custom  of  removing  all  lea- 
ven previous  to  tlie  paschal  solemnity,  St.  Paul  evidently 


AND    DESIGN    OF    THE   EUCHARIST.  39 

allucks,  1  Cor.  v.  C,  7,  3.  Know  ye  not  that  a  little 
leaven  Icavcncth  the  whole  lamp  ?  Purge  md  titer ef ore  the 
old  leaven,  tJmt  ye  may  be  a  new  lump,  as  ye  are  un- 
leavened.  For  even  Christ,  our  Passover,  is  sacrificed 
for  us  ;  therefore  let  us  keep  the  feast,  not  nith  old  lea- 
ven, neither  with  the  leaven  of  malice  and  wickedness,  but 
with  the  UNLEAVENED  BREAD  of  sinccrHy  and  truth. 

T^ow,  if  any  respect  should  be  paid  to  the  primitive 
institution,  in  the  celebration  of  this  divine  ordinance, 
then  unleavened,  unyeasted  bread  should  be  used.  la 
every  sign  or  type,  tlie  thing  signifying  or  pointing  out 
that  which  is  beyond  it£el£,  should  either  have  certain 
properties,  or  be  accompanied  with  certain  circumstances, 
as  expressive  as  possible  of  the  thing  sipiified.  Bread, 
simply  considered  in  itself,  may  be  an  emblem  apt  enough 
of  the  body  of  our  Lord  Jesus,  wliich  was  given  for  us ; 
but  the  design  of  God  was  evidently  that  it  should  not 
only  point  out  this,  but  also  the  disposition  required  in 
those  who  should  celebrate  both  the  antetype  and  the 
type :  and  this  the  Apostle  explains  to  be  sincerity  and 
truth,  the  reverse  of  malice  and  wickedness.  The  very 
taste  of  the  bread  was  instructive  :  it  pointed  out  to  every 
communicant,  that  he  Avho  came  to  the  table  of  God  with 
malice  or  ill-mil  against  any  soul  of  man,  or  with  nicked^ 
ness,  a  profligate  or  sinful  life,  miglit  expect  to  eat  and 
drink  judgment  to  himself,  as  not  discerning  that  the 
Lord's  body  was  sacrificed  for  this  very  purpose,  that  all 
sin  might  be  destroyed ;  and  that  sincerity,  etXiK^ivetcty 
such  pmity  as  the  clearest  light  can  discern  no  stain  in, 
might  be  diffused  throuo[h  the  whole  soul;  and,  that  truth, 
the  law  of  righteousness  and  true  holiness,  miglit  regulate 
and  guide  all  the  actions  of  life.  Had  the  bread  used 
on  these  occasions  been  of  the  common  kind,  it  would 


40  A   DISCOURSE   ON    THE   NATLRE 

have  been  perfectly  unfit,  or  improper  to  have  communi- 
cated these  uncommon  significations  ;  and,  is  it  was  sel- 
dom used,  its  rare  occurrence  Avoiild  make  tiie  emblemati- 
cal representation  more  deeply  impressive,  and  the  sign 
and  the  signified  have  their  due  correspondence  and  in- 
fluence. 

These  circumstances  considered,  Avill  it  not  appear 
that  the  use  of  common  bread  in  the  sacrament  of  the 
Lord's  Supper  is  highly  improper  ?  He  w  ho  can  say? 
*•  This  is  a  matter  of  no  importance^''  may  say,  with  equal 
propriety,  the  ftrcar/ itself  is  of  no  importance ;  and  another 
may  say,  the  nine  is  of  no  importance ;  and  a  third  may 
say,  "  neither  the  bread  nor  nine  is  any  thing,  but  as  they 
lead  to  spiritual  references ;  and  the  sphdtual  reference  be- 
ing once  understood,  the  signs  are  useless."  Thus  we  may, 
through  alltcted  spirituality,  refme  away  the  whole 
ordinance  of  God,  and,  with  the  letter  and  form  of 
religion,  abolish  religion  itself.... Many  have  already 
acted  in  this  ¥  ay,  not  only  to  their  loss,  but  their  ruin, 
by  shewing  hoAv  profoundly  wise  they  are  above  what 
is  V,  ritten.  Let  those,  therefore,  who  consider  that  man 
shall  live  by  every  nord  which  proceeds  from  the  mouth 
cf  God,  and  who  are  conscientiously  solicitous  that  each 
divine  institution  be  not  only  presei*ved,  but  obsei'ved  in 
all  its  original  integrity,  atterd  to  this  circumstance.  I 
grant,  that  it  i«  probable  that  their  use  of  unleavened 
bread  in  the  sacrament  of  the  Lord's  Supper  may  excite 
tJie  f^neer  of  the  pro'^ane.  or  the  pretended  pity  of  those 
vho  think,  in  spiriUiality,  they  are  above  that  which  is 
infinitely  above  them;  yet,  while  the  conscientious  fol* 
loAvrrs  of  God  dare  even  to  be  singtdar  in  that  which 
i^  rijrht,  and  are  not  ashamed  of  Oirist  and  his  words> 
they  sliall  be  acknoAvledged  by  him  when  he  comes  in 


AND   DESIGN    OF    THE    EUCHARIST.  41 

the  kingdom  and  gloiy  of  his  Father.  However,  in 
this  opinion  I  am  not  singular,  as  the  Lutheran  church 
makes  use  of  unleavened  bread  to  the  present  day. 

3.  And  hUssed  it...Bo{]i  St.  Matthew  and  St.  Mark 
nse  the  word  ivXoyvitru.(i,  blessed,  instead  of  ev^x^trii'rui, 
gave  thanks,  Avhich  is  the  Avord  used  by  St.  Luke  and 
St.  Paul.  The  terms,  in  this  case,  are  nearly  of  the 
same  import,  as  both  blessing  and  giving  thanks  were 
used  on  these  occasions.  But  what  was  it  that  our 
Lord  blessed  ?  Not  the  bread,  though  many  think  the 
contrary,  being  deceived  by  the  word  it,  which  is  im- 
properly supplied  in  our  version.  In  all  the  four  pla- 
ces referred  to  above,  whether  the  word  blessed  or  gave 
thanks  is  used,  it  refers  not  to  the  bread  but  to  God^ 
the  dispenser  of  eveiy  good.  Our  Lord  here  confonns 
himself  to  that  constant  Jewish  custom,  viz.  of  acknow- 
ledging God  as  the  autlior  of  eveiy  good  and  perfect 
gift,  by  giving  thanks  on  taking  the  bread,  and  taking 
the  cup  at  their  ordinaiy  meals.  For  every  Jew  was 
forbidden  to  eat,  drink,  or  use  any  of  God's  creatures 
without  rendering  him  thanks,  and  he  who  acted  con- 
traiy  to  this  command  was  considered  as  a  person  who 
was  guilty  of  sacrilege.  From  this  custom  we  liave  de- 
rived the  decent  and  laudable  one  of  saying  grace, 
{gratias  thanks)  before  and  after  meat.  The  Jewnsh 
form  of  blessing,  and  probably  that  which  our  Lord 
us:ed  on  this  occasion,  none  of  my  readers  w  ill  be  dis- 
pleased to  find  here ;  on  taking  the  bread  they  say  \ 

Baruch,   atta  Elulieenoo,Mclech  ha  olam,  ha  motse  Lechem  min  haarets. 

Blessed  be  thou  our  God,  king  of  the  universe,  who 
bringest  foHh  bread  out  of  the  earth ! 
D  2 


^2  A   DISCOURSE    ON    THE    NATURE 

Likewise  on  taking  the  cup,  they  say ; 

Baruch,  Elolieenoo,  Melecli,  haolam,  Bore  peree  haggephen. 

Blessed  be  oiir  God,  the  king  of  the  universe,  the  Cre- 
ator of  thejruii  of  the  vine! 

The  Mohammedans  copy  their  example,  constantly 
saying  before  and  after  meat. 


*  r^'  u^'  ^^  r 


Bisniillahi   arrahmani   arraheenii. 

In  the  name  of  God,  the  most  merciful,  the  most  com- 
passionate. 

No  blessing  therefore  of  the  elements  is  here  intend- 
ed; they  were  already  blessed,  in  being  sent  as  a  gift 
of  mercy  from  the  bountiful  Lord ;  but  God  the  sender 
IS  blessed,  because  of  the  liberal  provision  he  has  made 
for  his  worthless  creatures.  Blessing  and  touching  the 
bread,  are  merely  popish  ceremonies,  unauthorized  ei- 
ther by  Scripture,  or  the  practice  of  the  pure  church 
of  God ;  necessary  of  course  to  them  who  pretend  to 
transmute,  by  a  kind  of  spiritual  incantation,  the  bread 
and  niyie,  into  the  real  body  and  blood  of  Jesus  Christ ; 
a  measure,  the  grossest  in  folly,  and  most  stupid  in  non- 
sense, to  which  God,  in  judgment,  ever  abandoned  the 
fallen  spirit  of  man.  What,  under  God,  generated  Pro- 
testantism ?  The  Protestation  of  a  few  of  his  follow- 
ers in  1529,  against  the  supremacy  of  the  Pope,  the  ex- 
travagant, disgraceful,  and  impious  doctrine  of  transub- 
ftantiation,  and  the  sale  of  indulgences   connected  with 


AND   PES-IGN    OF    THE   EUCHARIST.  43 

it.  But  let  the  Protestant  take  care  that  while  he  re- 
jects a  doctrine  teeming  with  monstrous  absurdities,  and 
every  contradictious  sentiment,  he  also  avoid  those  acts 
and  ridiculous  rites,  such  as  blessing  and  touching  the  sa- 
cred elements,  by  which  it  was  pretended  this  fancied 
transubstantiation  was  brought  about. 

4.  And  brake  it....We  often  read  in  the  Scriptui-es  of 
breaking  bread,  but  never  of  cutting  it.  The  Jewish 
people  had  nothing  analogous  to  our  high  raised  loaf- 
their  bread  was  made  broad  and  thin,  and  was  conse- 
iiuently  very  brittle,  and  to  divide  it,  there  was  no  need 
of  a  knife. 

The  breaking  of  the  bread,  I  consider  essential  to  the 
proper  performance  of  this  solemn  and  significant  cere- 
mony; because  this  act  was  designed  by  our  Lord  to 
shadow  forth  the  waiuiding,  piercing,  and  breaking  of  his 
body  upon  the  cross :  and  as  all  this  Avas  essentially  ne- 
cessary to  the  making  a  full  atonement  for  the  sin  of  the 
world;  so  it  is  of  vast  importance  that  this  apparently  lit- 
tle circumstance,  the  breaking  of  the  bread,  shoiUd  be 
carefully  attended  to,  that  the  godly  communicant  may 
have  every  necessary  assistance  to  enable  him  to  discern 
the  Lord's  body  while  engaged  in  this  most  important  and 
divine  of  all  God's  ordinances.  But  who  does  not  see 
that  one  small  cube  of  fermented,  i.  e.  leavened  bread, 
previously  divided  from  the  mass  Avith  a  knife,  and  sepa- 
rated by  the  fingers  of  the  minister,  can  never  answer  the 
end  of  the  institution,  either  as  to  the  matter  of  the 
bread,  or  the  mode  of  dividing  it  ?  Man  is  naturally  a  dull 
and  heedless  creature,  especially  in  spiritual  things,  and 
has  need  of  the  utmost  assistance  of  his  senses,  in  umoa 
with  those  expressive  rites  and  ceremonies  Avhich  thQ 
Holy  Scripture,  not  tradition,  has  sanctioned,  in  order  tof 


44  A    DISCOURSE    ON    THE    NATURE 

enable  him  to  arrive  at  spiritual  things  through  the  me- 
dium of  earthly  similitudes. 

5.  He  gave  it  unto  his  disciples....^ ot  on\y  the  break- 
ing, but  also  the  distridution  of  the  bread  are  necessa-- 
ly  parts  of  this  rite.  la  the  Romish  church  the  bread  fe 
not  broken  nor  delivered  to  the  people  that  they  may 
talce  and  eat ;  but  the  consecrated  wafer  is  put  upon  tlieir 
tojigue  by  the  priest,  and  he  is  reputed  the  most  worthy 
communicant  vho  does  not  masticate,  but  swallow  it 
whole.  , 

"  Th  it  the  hrcaking  of  this  bread  to  be  distributed^'' 
says  Dr.  Whitjjy,  '•  is  a  necessary  part  of  this  rite  is  evi- 
dent, first,  by  the  continual  mention  of  it  by  St.  Paid,  and 
all  the  Evangelists,  when  they  speak  of  the  institution 
of  this  sacrament,  which  shows  it  to  be  a  necessary-  part 
of  it.  2.  Christ  says,  take  eat,  this  is  my  body  broken 
for  you^  1  Cor.  xi.  24.  But  when  the  elements  are  not 
broken,  it  can  be  no  more  said,  This  is  my  body  broken 
for  you,  than  where  the  elements  are  not  given.  3.  Our 
Lord  said.  Do  this  in  remembrance  of  me :  i.  e.  '  Eat 
ihis  bread  broken,  in  remembrance  of  my  body  broken 
on  the  cross;'  now  where  no  body  broken,  is  distributed^ 
there,  nothing  can  be  eaten  in  memorial  of  his  broken 
body.  Lastly,  the  apostle,  by  saying.  The  bread  which 
we  break,  is  it  not  the  commimion  oj  the  body  of  Christ  ? 
suiftciently  informs  us,  that  the  eating  of  his  broken  body 
is  necessary  to  that  end,  1  Cor.  x.  1 0.  Hence  it  Avas, 
that  this  rite  o\  distributing  bread  broken  continued  for 
a  thousand  years ;  and  was,  as  Ilumbertus  testifies,  ob- 
sei-ved  in  the  Roman  church,  in  the  eleventh  century." 
Whitby  in  loco.  At  present,  the  opposite  is  as  boldly 
practised,  as  if  the  real  scriptural  rite  had  never  been 
obsei-ved  in  the  church  of  Christ, 


AND    DESIGN    OF    THE   EUCHARIST.  45 

6.  This  is  my  body....'t{eve  it  must  be  observ^ed,  that 
Christ  had  nothing  in  hands  at  tliis  time,  but  part  of  that 
unleavened  bread  which  he  and  his  disciples  had  been 
eating  at  supper,  and  therefore  he  could  mean  no  more 
than  this,  viz.  that  the  bread  which  he  was  now  breaking 
represented  his  body,  which,  in  the  course  of  a  few  hours, 
was  to  be  crucified  for  them.  Common  sense,  unsophisti- 
cated with  superstition  and  erroneous  creeds;  and  rea- 
son, unaAved  by  the  secular  sword  of  sovereign  authority, 
could  not  possibly  take  any  other  meaning  than  this  plain, 
consistent,  and  rational  one,  out  of  these  Avords.  "  But, 
says  a  false  and  absurd  creed :  Jesus  meant,  when  he 
said  HOC  EST  corpus  meum,  (this  is  my  body)  and  hic 
EST  CALix  sanguinis  mei,  This  is  the  chalice  of  my 
blood,  that  the  bread  and  wine  were  substantially  chan- 
ged into  his  body,  including  flesh,  blood,  bones,  yea,  the 
whole  Christ,  in  his  immaculate  humanity,  and  adorable 
divinity !"  And  for  denying  this  what  rivers  of  righteous 
blood  have  been  shed  by  state  persecutions,  and  by  reli- 
gious wars  !  Well,  it  may  be  asked,  "  Can  any  man  of 
sense  believe,  that  when  Christ  took  up  that  bread  and 
broke  it,  that  it  was  his  own  body  which  he  held  in  his 
own  hands,  and  Avhich  himself  broke  to  pieces,  and  which 
he  and  his  disciples  eat  ?"  He  who  can  believe  such  a 
congeries  of  absurdities,  cannot  be  said  to  be  a  volunteer 
in  faith  :....ioT  it  is  evident,  the  man  can  neither  have 
faith  nor  reason. 

Let  it  be  observed,  if  any  thing  further  is  necessary  on 
this  subject,  that  tlie  Paschal  Lamb  is  called  the  Pass- 
over, because  it  represented  the  destroying  angel's  passing 
over  the  children  of  Israel,  while  he  slew  the  fii-stbom  of 
the  Eg}^tians :  and  our  Lord  and  his  disciples  call  this 
lamb  the  Passover  several  times  in  this  chapter;  by 
which  it  is  demonstrably  evident,  that  they  could  mean 


46  A   DISCOURSE    ON    THE    NATURE 

no  more  than  that  the  lamb  sacrificed  on  this  occasion  was 
a  memorial  of,  and  represented  the  means  used  for  the 
preservation  of  tlie  Israelites  from  the  blast  of  the  destroy- 
ing angel. 

Besides,  our  Lord  did  not  say,  hoc  est  corpus  nuinriy 
(iliis  is  my  body  J  as  he  did  not  speak  in  the  Latin 
tongue ;  though  as  much  stress  has  been  laid  upon  this  quo- 
tation from  the  Vulgate  version,  by  the  Papists,  as  if  the 
original  of  the  three  Evangelists  had  been  written  in  the 
Latin  language.  Had  he  spoken  in  Latin,  following  the 
idiom  of  the  Vulgate,  he  would  have  sdiid,  panis  hie  corpus 
meum  signijicat^  or,  symbolum  est  corporis  mei..,Jioc  pocu- 
him  sajigtdnem  memn  reprcsentat,  or,  symholum  est  san^ 
guinis  mci :  this  bread  signifies  my  body ;  this  cup  repre- 
sents my  blood.  But  let  it  be  observed,  that  in  the  He- 
brew, Chaldee  and  Chaldeo-Sjriak  languages  there  is  no 
term  which  expresses  to  7ncan,  signify,  denote,  though 
both  the  Greek  and  Latin  abound  with  them :  hence  the 
Hebrews  use  a  figure,  and  say,  it  is,  for,  it  signifies.  So 
Gen.  xlJ.  20,  27.  The  seven  kine  are  (i.  e.  represent)  se- 
ven years.  This  is,  (represents)  the  bread  of  affliction 
which  our  fathers  ate  in  the  land  of  Egypt.  Dan.  vii. 
24.  The  ten  horns  are  (i.  e.  signify)  ten  kings.  They 
drank  of  the  spiritual  Rock  which  followed  them,  and 
iht  Rock  WAS  (represented)  Christ.  1  Cor.  x.  4.  And 
following  this  Hebrew  idiom,  though  the  work  is  written 
in  Greek,  we  find,  in  Pi,ev.  i.  20.  the  seven  stars  are  (re- 
present J  the  angels  of  the  seven  churches :  and  tlie  seven 
candlesticks  are  (represent J  the  sev^en  churches.  The 
same  form  of  speech  is  used  in  a  variety  of  places  in  the 
New  Testament,  where  this  sense  must  necessarily 
be  given  to  the  word... Matt.  xiii.  38,  30.  The  field  is 
(^represents J  the  world :  the  good  seed  are  (represent  or 
signify  J  tlie  children  of  the  kingdom :  the  tares  are  (sig- 


AND   DESIGN   OF   THE  £UCHAEIS7.  47 

mfy)  the  children  of  the  wicked  one.  The  enemy  is 
Caign^es)  the  devil :  the  Iiarv  est  is  (represents)  the  end 
of  the  Avorld  :  the  reapers  are  (i.  e.  signify)  the  angels.... 
Luke  viii.  9.  What  might  this  parable  be?  rt^  eihu 
'TFec^ctQoXfj  etvTt)  j  "vvhat  does  this  parable  signify  ?....John 
vii.  36.  Tii  ESTIN  ovroi  o  Aoyo?  ;  what  is  the  significa- 
tion of  this  saying....John  x.  6.  They  understood  not 
what  things  they  were,  rtvee.  hn,  what  was  the  signifi- 
cation of  the  things  he  had  spoken  to  them....Acts  x.  1 7. 
rt  uv  EiH  Tfl  o^ctf^Xy  what  this  vision  might  be;  pro- 
perly rendered  by  our  translators,  what  this  vision  should 
MEAN.. ..Gal.  iv.  24.     For  these  are  the  two  covenants : 

ecvTcci  ycc^    EI2IN  eci  ^vo  otecer.Kctly  theee  SIGNIFY  the  tWO 

covenants.... Luke  xv.  26.  He  asked,  ti  eih  ruvret,  what 
these  things  meant  :  see  also  ch.  xviii.  36.  After  such 
unequivocal  testimony  from  the  sacred  writings,  can  any 
pei-son  doubt  that,  This  bread  is  7ny  body,  has  any  other 
meaning  than,  This  represents  my  body  ?* 

*  The  Latins  use  the  verb  *um,  in  all  its  forms,  with  a  si- 
milar latitude  of  meaning ;  so,  esse  oneri  ferendoy  he  is  able 
to  bear  the  burthen  :  bene  esse,  to  live  sumptuously  :  mal^ 
ESSE,  to  LIVE  miserably:  recte  esse,  to  enjoy  g-ood  health; 
i£.%T  tnihi  Jistula,  I  possess  a  flute :  est  Aoa'ie  zn  rebus,  he 
now  enjoys  a  plentiful  fortune. 

In  Greek  also,  and  HebrenMy  it  often  signifies  to  live,  to  die^ 
to  be  kilted:  ovk  EIMI,  lam  dead,  or  a  f/eacf  wan. — Matt. 
ii.  18.  Rachel  weeping  for  her  children,  oti  ovk  E12I,  be- 
cause they  were  murdered. — Gen.  xlii  36.  Joseph  is  not, 
Ijyx  ^DV  Yoseph  einennuy  tucrY,(p  cvk  ESTIN,  Sept.  Joseph 
is  DEVOURED  by  a  wild  beast  . — Kom.  iv.  17.  CalUng  the 
things  that  are  not,  as  if  they  were  alive.  So  Plutarch, 
in  Laconicis— "  This  shield  thy  father  always  preserved  ; 
preserve  thou  it,  or  may  thou  not  be** — «  fcjj  E20,  may  thou 
perish. — 1  Tim.  i.  7.  Desiring  to  be  teachers  of  the  law-— • 
BiXovrei;  EINAI  vof^oS'i^ccij-KxXoi,  desiring  to  be  reputed 
teachers  of  the  law,  i.  e.  able  uivmes — t«  ONTA,  the  things 


48  A   DISCOURSE    ON   THE   NATURE   . 

That  our  Lord  neither  spoke  in  Greek  nor  Latin,  on  this 
occasion,  needs  no  proof.  It  was,  most  probably,  in  what 
was  formerly  called  the  Chaldaic,  now  the  Syriac,  that 
our  Lord  conversed  with  his  disciples.  Through  the  pro- 
vidence of  God,  we  have  complete  versions  of  the  Gospels 
in  this  language ;  and,  in  them,  it  is  likely  we  have  the  pre- 
cise words  spoken  by  our  Lord  on  this  occasion.  In  Matt, 
xxvi.  26  and  27,  the  words  in  the  Syriac  version  are.... 

uaf-s^-^  QlAO)  honau  pagree,  this  is  my  body, 
<. Vr\1  G-JC)    henau   demee,   this    is   my   blood,   of 

which  forms  oj  speech,  the  Greek  is  a  verbal  translation; 
nor  would  any  man,  even  in  the  present  day,  speaking  in 
the  same  language,  use,  among  the  people  to  whom  it  was 
vernacular,  other  terms  than  the  above  to  express,  This 
represents  my  body,  and  this  represents  my  blood. 

But  this  form  of  speech  is  common,  even  in  our  own 
language,  though  we  have  terms  enoAV  to  fdl  up  the  el- 
lipsis. Suppose  a  man  entering  into  a  museum,  enriched 
with  the  remains  of  ancient  Greek  sculpture ;  his  ejes 
are  attracted  by  a  number  of  curious  busts ;  and,  on  in- 
quuing  what  they  are,  he  learns,  this  is  Socrates,  that 
Plato,  a  third  Homer;  others  Hesiod,  Horace,  Virgil, 
Demosthenes,  Cicero,  Herodotus,  Livy,  Cjcsar,  Nero, 
Vespasian,  Arc.  Is  he  deceived  by  this  information  ? 
Not  at  all :  he  knows  well  that  the  busts  he  sees  are  not 
the  identical  persons  of  thoFe  ancient  philosophers,  poets, 
orators,  historians,  and  emperors,  but  only  representa- 
tions of  their  persons  in  sculpure,  between  which  and 
the  originals  there  is  as  essential  a  difference  as  between 
a  human  body,  instinct  with  all  the  principles  of  rational 

that  are,  i.  e.  noble  and  honourable  men  :  ret  f^t)  ONTA, 
the  thinpi-B  that  are  not,   viz.    the  vulgar,  or  those  of  igno- 

SLE    BIRTH 


AND    DTESIGN    OF    THE   EUCHARIST.  AO 

vita'ity,  and  a  block  of  marble....When,  therefore,  Christ, 
took  up  a  piece  of  bread,  brake  it,  and  said,  this  is  mi/ 
hoily^  who  but  the  most  stupid  of  mortals  could  imagine 
that  he  was,  at  the  same  time,  handling  and  breaking  his 
own  body  ?  Would  not  any  person,  of  plain  common 
sense,  see  as  great  a  difference  betAveen  the  man  Christ 
Jesus  and  the  piece  of  bread,  as  between  the  block  of 
marble  and  the  philosopher  it  represented,  in  the  case 
referred  to  above?  The  truth  is,  there  is  scarcely  a 
more  common  form  of  speech,  in  any  language,  than 
this  is,  for,  this  represents,  or  signifies.  And  as  our 
Lord  refers,  in  the  whole  of  this  transaction,  to  the  ordi- 
nance of  the  Passover,  we  may  consider  him  as  saying, 
*'  This  bread  is  now  my  body,  in  that  sense  in  which 
the  Paschal  Lamb  has  been  my  body  hitherto ;  and  this 
cup  is  my  blood  of  the  New  Testament,  in  the  same 
sense  as  the  blood  of  bulls  and  goats  has  been  my  blood 
under  the  old.  Exod.  xxiv.  Heb.  ix.  i.  e.  The  Paschal 
Lamb,  and  the  sprinkling  of  blood,  represented  my  sacri- 
fice to  the  present  time ;  this  bread  and  this  ^^mt  shall 
1  epresent  my  body  and  blood  through  all  future  ages : 
therefore,  Do  this  in  remembrance  of  me.'''' 

Perhaps,  to  many  of  my  readers,  it  may  appear  utterly 
improbable,  that  in  the  present  enlightened  age,  as  it  is 
called,  any  people  can  be  found  who  seriously  and  con- 
sistently credit  the  doctrine  of  transubstantiation.  Lest 
I  fchould  fall  under  the  charge  of  misrepresentation,  I 
shall  here  transcribe  the  eighth  lesson  of  the  "  Catechism 
for  the  Use  of  all  the  Churches  in  the  French  empire^'' 
published  in  1806,  by  the  aulhoritij  of  the  Emperor  Na- 
poleon Buonaparte,  with  the  hull  of  the  Pope,  and 
the  mandamus  of  the  Archbishop  of  Paris. 

"  Q.  What  is  the  sacrament  of  the  Eucharist  ? 


'50  A   DISCOURSE   ON    THE   NATURE 

A.  The  Eucharist  is  a  saci-ament  which  contains  re- 
ALLY  and  SUBSTANTIALLY,  thc  boihj,  blood,  soul,  and 
divinity  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  under  tlie  forms  or 
appearance  of  bread  and  7vine. 

Q,  What  is  at  first  put  on  the  altar,  and  in  the 
chalice?  Is  it  not  bread  and  7iine ? 

A.    Yes :    and    it  continues   to  be   bread    and  wine 

TILL    THE    PRIEST   PRONOUNCES     THE   WORDS   OF   CONSE- 
CRATION. 

Q.  What  injiuence  have  these  words? 

A,  The  bread  is  changed  into  the  body,  and  tlie 
nine  is  changed  into  the  blood  of  our  Lord. 

Q.  Does  nothing  of  the  bread  and  wine  remain? 

A.  Nothing  of  them  remains,  except  the  forms. 

Q.  What  do  you  call  the  jorms  of  the  bread  and 
wine  ? 

A.  That  which  appears  to  our  senses,  as  colour,  figure, 
and  taste. 

Q.  Is  there  nothing  under  the  form  of  bread  except 
the  body  of  our  Lord  ? 

A.  Besides  his  body,  there  is  liis  blood,  his  sotd, 
and  his  divinity ;  because  all  these  are  inseparable. 

Q.  And  under  the  form  of  wine  ? 

A.  Jesus  Christ  is  there  as  entire,  as  under  the  form 
of  the  bread. 

Q.  When  the  forms  of  the  bread  and  Avine  are  divided, 
is  Jesus  Christ  divided  ? 

A.  No  :  Jesus  Christ  remains  entire  under  each  part 
of  the  form  divided. 

Q.  Say,  in  a  word,  what  Jesus  Christ  gives  us  under 
each  form? 

A.  All  that  he  is,  that  is,  perfect  God,  and  per- 
fect MAN. 

Q.  Does  Jesus  Christ  leave  heaven  to  come  into  thc 
Eucharist  ? 


AND   DESIGN    OF    THE   EUCHARIST.  51 

A,  No  :  he  always  continues  at  the  right  hand  of 
God,  his  Father,  till  he  shall  come  at  the  end  of  the 
world,  Avith  great  gloiy,  to  judge  the  living  and  the 
dead. 

Q.  Then  hoAv  can  he  be  present  at  the  altar? 

A.  By  the  almighty  power  of  God. 

Q,  Then  it  is  not  man  that  Avorks  this  miracle? 

A.  No  :  it  is  Jesus  Christ,  A^hose  w  ord  is  employed  in 
the  sacrament. 

Q.  Then  it  is  Jesus  Christ  avIio  consecrates? 

A.  It  is  Jesus  Christ  Avho  consecrates ;  the  priest  is 
only  his  minister. 

Q.  Must  we  AAorship  the  body  and  blood  of  Jesus 
Christ  in  the  Eucharist? 

A.  Yes,  undoubtedly ;  for  this  body,  and  this  blood, 
are  inseparably  united  to  his  divinity." 

To  shoAv  that  this  is  consistent  with  the  canon  of  the 
mass,  I  shall  translate  the  consecration  prayer  from  the 
Roman  Missal.  When  the  priest  receives  the  bread  and 
Avine,  he  thus  prays,  making  the  sign  of  the  cross  AA^here 
this  mark  f  appears  : 

"  We  beseech  thee,  O  God,  to  render  this  oblation 
in  all  things  bless  f  ed,  approv  f  ed,  effect  f  ual,  reason- 
able, and  acceptable,  that  it  may  be  made  to  us  the 
bo  t  dy  and  bl  f  ood  of  thy  most  beloved  Son,  our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ!  Avho,  the  day  before  he  suffered,  took 
bread  into  his  sacred  and  venerable  hands,  and  having 
lifted  up  his  eyes  to  thee,  O  God,  the  Father  Almighty, 
and,  giving  thanks  to  thee,  bless  f  ed,  brake,  and  gave 
it  to  his  disciples,  saying,  Take,  and  eat  ye  all  of  this, 
for  this  is  my  body. '  (HOC  EST  ENIM  CORPUS 
MEUM.) 

[Then  the  priest  adores,  and  elevates  the  consecrated 
host.'] 


5^  A   DISCOURSE    ON    THE   NATt^KE 

"  In  like  manner  after  he  had  supped,  taking  also  this 
excellent  chalice  into  his  sacred  and  venerable  hands, 
pving  thee,  also,  thanks,  he  bless  f  ed  and  gave  it  to  his 
disciples,  saying.  Take  and  drink  ye  all  of  this,  for  this 
is  the  chalice  of  my  blood,  (HIC  EST  ENIM  CALIX 
SANGUINIS  MEI)  of  the  new  and  eternal  testament, 
the  mystery  of  faith  -which  shall  be  shed  for  you,  and  for 
many,  for  the  remission  of  sins,  as  oft  as  ye  shall  do 
ihese  things,   ye  shall  do  them  in  remembrance  of  me." 

[Here  ilu  chalice  is  elevated  and  adored,  and  the  Lord 
is  besmight  to  command  his  angel  to  carry  these  offerings 
into  the  presence  of  his  Divine  Majesty.'\.,..On\eT  of  the 
jMass,  vol.  i.  p.  xxiv.  &c. 

In  "  The  divine  office  for  the  use  of  the  laity,"  the 
pei"son  ivho  is  to  communicate  is  ordered  to  "  go  up  to 
the  rails,  kneel  down,  and  say  the  conjiteor^  (confession) 
with  true  sorrow  and  compunction  for  his  sins."  After 
the  priest  has  prayed  that  God  may  have  mercy  upon 
liim,  and  pardon  all  his  sins,  "  he  takes  tlie  sacred  host 
(i.  e.  the  consecrated  wafer)  into  his  hand,  and  again 
turns  about,  and  says.  Behold  the  Lamb  of  God!*  Bclwld 
him  who  takcih  away  the  sin  of  tJie  wwld!  Then  he 
and  the  communicant  repeat  thrice,  "  Lord,  I  am  not 
worthy  thou  shouldst  enter  under  my  roof,'  speak,  there- 
fore, but  the  word,  and  my  soul  shall  be  healed,"  the 
communicant  striking  his  breast  in  token  of  liis  unwor- 
thiness.  "  Then,"  says  the  Director}^  "  having  the 
towel  raised  above  your  breast,  your  eyes  modestly 
closed,  your  head  likewise  raised  up,  and  your  mouth 
conveniently  opened,  receive  the  holy  sacrament  on 
your  tongue,    resting  on   your  under   lip;    then  close 

*  Sovereign  of  heaven  and  earth !  here  the  adoration  thaf 
is  due  to  thee  alone,  is  paid  to  a  piece  of  bread! 


AND   DESIGN    OV    THE   EUCHARIST.  53 

your  mouth,  and  say  in  your  heart,  A?nen :  I  believe  it 
lo  be  the  body  of  Christ,  and  I  praif  it  mmj  preserve  my 
soul  to  eternal  /j/c.'\...Ordiiiary  ol  the  IMass,  page 
xxxiii. 

Believing  that  these  extracts  are  sufficient  to  expose 
the  shocking  absurdity  of  tliis  most  moastrous  system, 
I  forbear  either  adding  more,  or  making  any  comments 
on  those  aUeady  produced. 

7.  St.  Luke  and  St.  Paul  add  a  circumstance  here 
which  is  not  noticed  either  by  St.  MattheAV  or  St.  Mark. 
After,  this  is  my  body,  the  former  adds,  which  is  given 
for  you :  the  latter,  which  is  broken  for  you :  tlie  sense 
of  which  is,  "  As  God  has  in  his  bountiful  providence 
given  you  bread  for  the  sustenance  of  your  lives,  so,  in 
his  infinite  grace,  he  has  given  you  my  body  to  save 
your  souls  unto  life  eternal.  But  as  this  bread  must  be 
broken  and  masticated,  in  order  to  its  becoming  proper 
nourishment,  so  my  body  must  be  broken,  i.  e.  crucified 
for  you,  before  it  can  be  the  bread  of  life  to  your  souls. 
As,  therefore,  your  life  depends  on  the  bread  which 
God's  bounty  has  provided  for  your  bodies,  so  your  eter- 
nal life  depends  oa  the  sacrifice  of  my  body  on  tiie  cross 
for  your  souls.''  Besides,  there  is  here  an  allusioii  to  the 
offering  of  sacrifices«..an  innocent  creature  was  brought 
to  the  altar  of  God,  and  its  blood  ftJie  life  of  the  beast  J 
was  poured  out  for,  or  in  behalf  of  the  person  who 
brought  it.  Thus,  Christ  says,  alluding  to  the  sacrifice 
of  the  paschal  lamb,  This  is  my  body,  to  vtfs^  t;ft«» 
hS'ofcivcv,  which  is  GIVEN  in  your  stead,  or  in  your  be- 
half; a  free  gift  from  God's  endless  mercy  for  the  sal- 
-"•alion  of  your  souls  i  This  is  my  body,  to  vts^  vfjcm 
itAUf^ivov,  (1  Cor.  xi.  24.)  which  is  broken,  sacrificed  in 
your  stead,  as  without  the  breaking  (piercing J  of  the 
body,  and  spilling  of  the  blood,  there  was  no  remission. 
E  2 


^4  A    DISCOURSE   ON    THE    NATURE 

In  this  solemn  transaction  Ave  must  weigli  every  word, 
as  there  is  none  without  its  appropriate  and  deeply  em- 
pliatic  meaniu«^.  So  it  is  written  Ephes.  v.  2.  Christ 
hath  loved  us,  and  given  himself,  vtce^  »)f4,<nv,  on  our  ao- 
eoimt,  or  in  our  stead,  an  offering  and  a  sacrifice,  (6vT]ec,) 
to  God  for  a  sneet-smclUng  savour,  that,  as  in  the  sacri- 
fice offered  by  Noah,  Gen.  viii.  21.  (to  which  the  apostle 
evidently  alludes,)  from  which  it  is  said,  the  LordsmelUd 
a  sweet  savour,  nrT'Jn  n'l  riach  hanichoach,  a  savour  of 
rest,  so  that  he  became  appeased  towards  the  earth,  and 
determined  that  there  should  no  more  be  a  flood  to  de- 
stroy it ;  in  like  manner,  in  the  offering  and  sacrifice  of 
Christ  FOR  us,  God  is  appeased  towards  the  human  race  ; 
and  has,  in  consequence,  decreed,  that  whosoever  helieveth 
in  him  shall  not  perish,  but  have  everlasting  life. 

8.  (v.  27.)  And  h€  took  the  cup,  jusrct  r«  S'etTrvtjyctt,  af- 
ter having  supped,  Luke  xxii.  20.  <fe  1  Cor.  xi.  25- 
Whether  the  supper  was  on  the  paschal  lamb,  or  whether 
it  was  a  common  or  ordinary  meal,  I  shall  not  wait  here 
to  inquire,  having  considered  the  subject  at  large  in  the 
introduction.  In  the  parallel  place  in  Luke  xxii.  we  find 
our  Lord  taking  the  cup,  v.  17.  and  again,  v.  19;  by  the 
former  of  which  Avas  probably  meant  the  cup  of  blessing, 
T}D^2'n  Dn  kos  haherakah,  which  the  master  of  a  family 
took,  and  after  blessing  God,  gave  to  each  of  his  guests 
by  vay  of  v.elcome  :  but  this  second  taking  the  cup,  is  to 
be  undei-stood  as  belonging  peculiarly  to  the  ver}^  impor- 
tant rite,  which  he  was  now  instituting,  and  on  which  he 
lays  a  ver}'  remarkable  stress.  With  respect  to  the 
Ifread,  he  had  before  simply  said,  take,  eat,  this  is  my  bo- 
dy :  but  concerning  the  atp,  he  says,  drink  ye  all  of  this  j 
for  as  this  pointed  out  the  very  essence  of  the  institution, 
viz.  the  blood  of  atonement,  it  Avas  necessary  that  each 
should  have  a  particular  application  of  it,  therefore  he 


AND   DESIGN   OF   THE   EUCHARIST.  55 

says,  drink  ye  all  of  this.  By  this  we  are  tauglit  that 
the  Clip  is  esseutial  to  tlie  sacrament  of  tlie  Lord's  supper ; 
so  that  they  Avho  deny  the  cup  to  tlie  people,  sin  against 
God's  institution ;  and  they  who  receive  not  the  cup,  are 
not  partakers  of  the  body  and  blood  of  Christ.  If  either 
could  without  mortal  prejudice  be  omitted,  it  might  be 
the  bread;  but  the  cup  as  pointing  out  the  blood,  poured 
out  i.  e.  the  life,  by  which  alone  the  great  sacrificial  act 
is  performed,  and  remission  of  sins  procured,  is  absolutely 
indispensable.  On  this  ground  it  is  demonstrable,  that 
there  is  not  a  popish  priest  under  heaven,  who  denies  the 
cup  to  the  people,  (and  they  all  do  this)  that  can  be  said 
to  celebrate  the  Lord's  supper  at  all ;  nor  is  there  one  of 
thek  votaries  that  ever  received  the  holy  sacrament.  All 
pretension  to  this  is  an  absolute  farce,  so  long  as  the  «//?, 
the  emblem  of  the  atoning  blood,  is  denied.  How  strange 
is  it,  that  the  very  men,  who  plead  so  much  for  the  bare 
literal  meaning  of  this  is  my  body,  in  the  preceding  verse, 
should  deny  all  meaning  to  drink  ye  all  of  this  cup,  m 
this  verse !  And  though  Christ  has  in  the  most  positive 
manner  enjoined  it,  they  will  not  permit  one  of  the  laity 
to  taste  it !  O  what  a  thing  is  man !  a  constant  contradic- 
tion to  reason  and  to  himself.  The  conclusion  therefore 
is  unavoidable.  The  sacrament  of  the  Lord's  supper  is 
NOT  celebrated  in  the  church  of  Rome. 

9.  I  have  just  said,  that  our  blessed  Lord  lays  remark- 
able stress  on  the  administration  of  the  cup,  and  on  that 
which  himself  assures  us,  is  represented  by  it.  As  it  is 
peculiarly  emphatic,  I  beg  leave  to  set  down  the  original 
text,  which  the  critical  reader  will  do  well  minutely  to 
examine :  Tevro  yx^  e^t  TO  uif^cc  fi.ov  TO  rnq  xxivtjs 
^lotdtiKtiq,  TO  're^i  TToXXav  ex)(^vvof^svof  eiq  cc^peciv  otitccc^riuv. 

The  folloAviug  literal  translation  and  paraphrase,  do  not 
exceed  its  meaning. 


56  A  piscounsE  on  the  natlke 

For  THIS  is  THAT  blood  of  mine,  ^vhicli  Avas  poiuU 
cd  out  hj  all  the  sacrifices  under  the  Jewish  law,  and  par- 
ticularly by  the  shedding  and  sprinkling  of  the  blood  of 
the  paschal  lamb.  THAT  blood  of  the  sacrifice  slain  for 
the  ratiiication  of  the  new  covenant.  THE  blood  ready 
to  be  poured  out  for  the  multitudes,  the  ^\  hole  Gentile 
Avorld  as  well  as  the  Jews,  for  the  taking  away  of  sins ; 
\in,  whether  original  or  actual,  in  all  its  power,  and  guilt ; 
in  all  its  internal  energy,  and  pollution. 

It  will  be  of  considerable  consequence  to  ascertain 
what  this  cup  contained.  Wine  is  not  specifically  men- 
tioned, but  what  is  tantamount  to  it  is,  viz.  what  our  Lord 
terms  yitr^y-a.  7ij<;  uf<,7reXov,  the  o^spring  or  produce  cf  the 
vinf.  Though  this  was  the  true  and  proper  wine,  yet  it 
was  widely  different  from  that  medicated  and  sophistica- 
ted beverage  which  goes  now  under  that  name.  The 
P'  yayin,  of  the  Hebrews,  the  o/ve?  oinos,  of  the  Greeks^ 
and  vinum  of  the  ancient  Romans,  meant  simply  the  ex- 
pressed juice  of  the  grape,  sometimes  drunk  just  alter  it 
was  expressed,  while  its  natural  sweetness  remained ;  and 
then  termed  mustum :  at  other  times,  after  fermentatioth, 
which  process  rendered  it  fit  for  keeping,  Avithout  getting 
acid  or  unhealthy,  then  called  «/v<>$,  and  vinum.  By  the 
ancient  Hebrews,  I  believe  it  was  chiefly  drunk  in  its 
first,  or  simple  state ;  hence  it  was  termed  among  them 
pjn  ns  peree  haggephen,  the  fruit  of  the  vhu,  and 
by  our  Lord   in  the  Syriac,  his  vernacular  languagej 

j^^  »^t  |t  ^  *     yalda  dagephetha,  \\ie young  or 

son  of  the  vine,  very  properly  translated  by  the  Evange- 
list yevt;^*  rr,q  a,iA,7rtMv,  the  offspring  or  produce  of  the 
vine.  In  ancient  times,  when  only  a  small  portion  was 
wanted  for  immediate  use,  the  juice  was  pressed  by  the 
hand  out  of  a  bunch  of  grapes,  and  immediately  dmnk. 
After  this  manner  Pharaoh's  butler  was  accustomed  to 


AND    DESIGN    OF    THE   ErCHARlST.  57 

squeeze  out  new  wine  into  tlie  royal  cup,  as  is  evident 
Irom  Genesis  xl.  11. 

Were  there  not  a  particular  cause,  probably  my  de- 
scending to  such  minuteness  of  description,  miglit  requii<^ 
an  apology.  I  have  only  to  say,  that  I  have  learned 
with  extreme  regret,  tiiat  in  many  places  a  vile  com- 
pound, wickedly  denominated  tvine,  not  the  offspring  of 
the  Vine,  but  of  the  alder,  gooseberry,  or  currant-tree, 
and  not  unfrequently  the  issue  of  the  sweepings  (yf  a  gro- 
cer''s  shop,  is  substituted  for  wine  in  the  sacrament  of  the 
Lord's  supper !  That  tliis  is  a  most  wicked  and  awful 
perversion  of  our  Lord's  ordinance,  needs,  I  am  per- 
suaded, no  proof.  The  matters  made  use  of  by  Jesus 
Christ,  on  this  solemn  occasion,  were  unleavened  bread 
and  tlie  produce  of  the  vine.  i.  e.  pure  wine.  To  depart 
in  the  least  from  his  institution,  while  it  is  in  our  power 
10  follow  it  literally,  would  be  extremely  culpable.  If 
the  principle  of  substitution  be  tolerated  in  the  least,  in- 
novations without  end  may  obtrude  themselves  into  this 
sacred  rite,  and  into  the  mode  of  its  administration ;  then 
the  issue  must  be,  what,  alas,  it  has  already  been  in  num- 
berless cases,  a  perversion  of  the  sacred  ordinance,  so 
Uiat  the  divine  blessing  no  longer  accompanies  it ;  hence 
ft  is  despised  by  some,  neglected  by  most,  and  by  a  cer- 
tain class  utterly  rejected,  and  the  Lord's  body  and  blood 
little  discerned  even  by  its  sincere  votaries.  How  truly 
execrable  must  that  covetousness  be,  which,  in  order  to 
save  a  little  money,  substitutes  a  cheap  and  unwholesome 
liquor  instead  of  that  wine,  of  which  God  is  particularly 
styled  the  Creator ;  and  which,  by  his  own  appointment, 
is  the  only  emblem  of  the  blood  of  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ ;  even  of  that  blood  which  was  shed  for  us  to 
make  atonement  for  our  sins,  and  preserve  our  bodies 
and  souls  unto  eternal  life !  These  things  considered, 
Will  not  every  reader  conclude,  with  me,  that  at  least 


58  A    DISCOURSE    ON    THE    NATURE 

genuine  bread  aud  unadulterated  wine  should  constitute 
the  matter  of  the  elements  in  the  Lord's  supper  ? 

1 0.  Jnd  ivhcn  he  had  given  thanks.  See  the  form 
used  on  this  occasion,  in  p.  p.  41,  42.  and  see  the  Mishna 
Tract.     no-i3  Bcracoth. 

11.  For  this  is  wy  blood  oftJie  New  Testament.  This 
is  the  reading  in  St.  Matthew  and  St.  Mark;  but  St. 
Luke  and  St.  Paul  sa}J,  This  cup  is  the  New  Testament 
in  my  blood.  This  passage  has  been  strangely  mistaken : 
by  New  Testament^  many  understand  nothing  more  than 
the  book  commonly  known  by  this  name,  containing  the 

four  Gospels,  Acts  of  the  Apostles,  Apostolical  Epistles, 
and  book  of  the  Revelation  ;  and  they  think  that  the  cup 
of  the  New  Testament  means  no  more  than  merely  that 
cup  which  the  book  called  the  New  Testament  enjoins 
in  the  sacrament  of  the  Lord's  supper.  As  this  is  the 
case,  it  is  highly  necessary  that  this  term  should  be  ex- 
plained. The  original  »  Kcttvi}  Aixh^n,  which  we  trans- 
late The  New  Testament,  and  Avhich  is  the  general  title 
of  all  the  contents  of  the  book  already  described,  simply 
means  The  new  covenant.  Covenant,  from  con  toge- 
ther, and  venio  I  come,  signifies,  an  agreement,  contract, 
or  compact  between  two  parties,  by  wliich  both  are  mu- 
tually bound  to  do  certain  things,  on  certain  conditions 
and  penalties.  It  answers  to  the  Hebrew  n"i!3  berith, 
which  often  signifies,  not  only  the  covenant,  or  agreemetit, 
but  also  the  sacrifice  Avhich  was  slain  on  the  occasion,  by 
the  blood  of  which  tlie  covenant  was  ratified ;  and  the 
contracting  parties  professed  to  subject  themselves  to  such 
a  death  as  that  of  the  victim,  in  case  of  violating  their 
engagements.  An  oath  of  this  kind,  on  slaying  the  cove- 
nant sacrifice,  iras  usual  in  ancient  times :  so  in  Homer, 
when  a  covenant  was  made  between  the  Creeks  and  tJjc 


AND    DESIGN   OF    THE    EUCHARIST.  59 

Trojans,  and  the  throats  of  Iambs  were  cut,  and  their 
blood  poured  out,  the  following  form  of  adjuration  was 
used  by  the  contracting  parties  : 

Zsv  Kvh^e,  f^eyi^Si  kxi  ecSxvxroi  6eoi  ecXXot, 

All  glorious  Jove,  and  ye,  the  Powers  of  Heaven  ! 
Whoso  shall  violate  this  contract  first. 
So  be  their  bloody  their  children's,  and  their  own 
JPour*d  cut  as  this  libation^  on  the  ground : 
And  let  their  wives  bring  forth  to  other  men  ! 

Iliad,  1.  iii.  v.  298—301. 

Our  blessed  Saviour  is  evidently  called  the  AtaOtno}, 
n^n3  berithy  or  covenant  sacrifice.  Isai.  xlii.  6.  xlix.  8. 
Zech.  ix.  11.  And  to  those  scriptures  he  appears  to 
allude,  as  in  them  the  Lord  promises  to  give  him  for  a 
covenant  (sacrifice J  to  the  Gentiles,  and  to  send  forth,  hy 
the  blood  of  this  covenant  (victim,)  the  prisoners  out  of 
the  pit.  The  passages  in  the  sacred  writings,  which  allude 
to  thi%  grand  sacrificial  and  atoning  act,  are  almost  innu- 
merable. 

In  this  place,  our  Lord  terms  his  blood,  the  blood  of 
the  NEW  covenant ;  by  which  he  means  that  giand  plan 
of  agreement,  or  reconciliation,  which  God  was  noAv  esta- 
blishing between  himself  and  mankind,  by  the  passion 
and  death  of  his  Son,  through  whom  alone,  men  could 
draw  nigh  to  God :  and  this  new  covenant  is  mentioned 
in  contradistinction  from  the  old  covenant,  v  '^xXxkc 
Aiec6i))ci}y  (2  Cor.  iii.  14.);  by  which  appellative  all  the 
books  of  the  Old  Testament  were  distinguished,  because 
they  pointed  out  the  way  of  reconciliation  to  God  by  the 
blood  of  the  various  victims  slain  under  the  law :  but 


9i  A   DISCOURSE   ON    THE   NATURE 

now,  as  tlie  Lamb  of  God^  which  taketh  away  the  sin  of 
the  world,  was  about  to  be  offered  up,  a  new  and  living 
way  was  thereby  constituted,  so  that  no  one  henceforth 
could  come  unto  the  Father  but  by  him.  Hence,  all  the 
books  of  the  New  Testament,  which  bear  unanimous 
testimony  to  the  doctrine  of  salvation  by  faith  through 
the  blood  of  Jesus,  are  termed  H  xaKvjj  A<«^j}x;»,  The 
NEW  covenant. 

Dr.  Lightfoot's  Observations  on  this  are  worthy  of  se- 
rious notice.  "  This  is  my  blood  of  the  New  Testament. 
Not  only  the  seal  of  the  covenant,  but  the  sanction  of 
the  neAV  covenant.  The  end  of  tlie  Mosaic  oecouomy, 
and  tlie  confirming  of  a  new  one.  The  confirmation  of 
the  old  covenant  was  by  the  blood  of  bulls  and  goats, 
Exod.  xxiv.  Heb.  ix.  because  blood  was  still  to  be  shed : 
the  confirmation  of  the  7iew  w  as  by  a  cup  of  wine ;  be- 
cause under  the  new  covenant  there  is  no  farther  shed- 
ding of  blood.  As  it  is  here  said  of  the  cup,  This  cup 
is  the  new  Testament  in  my  blood;  so  it  might  be  said 
of  the  cup  of  blood,  Exod.  xxiv.  That  cup,  was  the  Old 
Testament  in  the  blood  of  Christ :  there,  all  the  articles 
of  that  covenant  being  read  over,  Moses  sprinkled  all 
the  people  with  blood,  and  said,  This  is  the  blood  of  the 
covenant  which  God  Jiath  made  with  you  ;  and  thus  that 
old  covenant,  or  testimony  was  confirmed.  In  like  man- 
ner, Christ,  having  published  all  the  articles  of  the  new 
covenant;  he  takes  the  cup  of  Avine,  and  gives  them  to 
drink,  and  saith.  This  is  the  new  Testament  in  my  bloody 
and  thus  the  new  covenant  was  established.".... TFor/TcS 
vol.  ii.  p.  260. 

12.  Which  is  shed  (fK;c;yv8jttivev,  poured  out)/ori/OM 
and  for  many.  Expijew,  and  eKx^u,  to  pour  out,  are  often 
used  in  a  sacrificial  sense  in  the  Sepluagint,  and  signi- 
fies to  pour  out  or  sprinkle  the  blood  of  the  sacrifices 


AND   DESIGN   OF    THE    EUCHARIST.  61 

before  tlie  altar  of  the  Lord,  by  way  of  atonement.  See 
2  Kings  xvi.  15.  Lev.  viii.  15.  ix.  9.  Exod.  xxix.  12. 
Lev.  iv.  7.  14... .17.. ..30... .34.;  and  in  various  other 
places.  Our  Lord,  by  this  very  remarkable  mode  of 
expression  teaches  us,  that,  as  his  body  was  to  he  broken, 
or  crucified,  v^re^  *ii*e^v,  in  our  stead,  so  here  the  blood 
was  to  be  poured  out  to  make  an  atonement^  as  the  words 
remission  of  sins  sufficiently  prove ;  for  without  shedding 
of  blood  there  7vas  no  remission^  Heb.  ix.  22 ;  nor  any 
remission  by  shedding  of  blood,  but  in  a  sacrificial  way. 
See  the  passages  above,  and  pages  53  and  54. 

The  whole  of  this  passage  will  receive  additional 
llgMwhen  collated  with  Isai.  liii.  11,  12.  By  his  know- 
ledge shall  my  righteous  servant  justify  many,  for  he 
shall  bear  their  iniquities. ...because  he  hath  poured  out 
his  soul  unto  death,  and  he  bare  the  sin  of  many.  The 
pouring  out  of  the  soul  unto  death,  in  the  Prophet,  an- 
swers to,  this  is  the  blood  of  the  New  covenant  which  is 
poured  out  for  you,  in  the  Evangelists :  and  the  O'^l 
rabbim,  multitudes  m  Isaiah,  corresponds  to  the  many, 
^e;iA<yy,  of  Matthew  and  Mark.  The  passage  will  soon 
appear  plain,  when  we  consider  that  two  distinct  classes 
of  persons  are  mentioned  by  the  prophet.  1.  The  Jews. 
V.  4.  Surely  he  hath  borne  our  griefs,  and  carried  our 
sorrows. ...\-.  5.  But  he  was  wounded  for  our  transgres* 
sions,  he  was  bniisedfor  our  iniquities,  the  chastisement 
of  our  peace  was  upon  him... .v.  6.  All  we,  like  sheep^ 
have  gone  astray,  and  the  Lord  hath  laid  upon  him  the 
iniquity  of  us  all....2.  The  Gentiles,  v.  11.  By  his 
knowledge  in;?lD  bedudto,  i.  e.  by  his  being  made  known, 
published  as  Christ  crucified  among  tlie  Gentiles,  lie  shall 
justify  CS'^'i  rabbim,  the  multitudes,  (the  gentiles) /iw 
he  shall  (also)  bear  their  offences  as  well  as  ours,  the 
Jews,  V.  4,  &c.  It  is  well  known  that  the  Jewish  dis- 
pensation termed  by  the  apostle,  as  above,  »j  TrecXectx  hoc- 


^ 


A   DISCOURSE   ON    THE    NATURE 


67}Kv,  the  OLD  covenant  was  partial  and  exclusive,  None 
■were  particularly  interested  in  it  save  the  descendants 
of  the  twelve  sons  of  Jacob ;  whereas  the  Christian  dis- 
pensation, n  Kxivn  hxhKi^,  the  neav  covenant  referred  to 
by  our  Lord,  in  this  place,  was  wiiversal;  for,  as  Jesus 
Christ  by  the  grace  of  God,  tasted  death  for  every  wiaw, 
Heb.  xi.  9.  and  is  that  Lamb  of  God  that  taketh  away 
the  sin  of  the  world,  John  i.  29. ;  who  would  have  all 
MEN  to  he  saved,  and  come  to  the  knowledge  of  the  truth, 
1  Tijn.  ii.  4. ;  even  that  knowledge  of  Christ  crucified, 
by  which  they  are  to  he  justified,  Isai.  liii.  11.;  there- 
fore he  has  commanded  his  disciples  to  go  into  all  the 
world,  and  preach  the  gospel  to  every  creature,  Mark 
xvi.  1 5.  The  reprobate  race,  those  who  were  7io  people, 
and  not  beloved,  were  to  be  called  in;  for  the  Gospel 
was  to  be  preached  to  all  the  world,  though  it  was  to  be- 
gin at  Jerusalcm...JLx\\e  xxiv.  47.  For  this  pui-pose 
was  the  blood  of  the  new  covenant  sacrifice  poured  out 
for  the  multitudes,  that  there  m%ht  be  but  one  fold,  as 
there  is  but  one  shepherd ;  and  that  God  might  be  all 
and  in  all. 

13.  All  this  was  to  be  done,  ti^  u^ea-iv  uft.x^rtuv,far, 
(or,  in  reference  to)  the  taking  away  of  sins,  v.  28.  For, 
although  the  blood  is  shed,  and  the  atonement  made,  no 
man's  sins  are  taken  away,  until  as  a  true  penitent  he 
returns  to  Orod ;  and  feeling  his  utter  incapacity  to  save 
himself,  believes  in  Christ  Jesus,  Avho  is  the  justifier  of 
the  ungodly. 

The  phrase  eK^eo-i^  tuv  a/xx^rtuv,  remission  of  sins,  (fre- 
quently used  by  tlie  Septuagint)  being  thus  explained  by 
our  Lord,  is  often  used  by  the  Evangelists  and  the  Apos- 
tles ;  and  does  not  mean  merely  the  pardon  of  sins,  as  it 
is  generally  understood,  but  the  removal,  or  taking  away, 
of  sins ;  not  only  the  ginU,  but  also  the  very  nature  of 


AND    DESIGN    OF    THR  lUCHAKIST.  63^- 

siu,  and  the  pollution  of  tlie  soul  tlirougli  it ;  and  com- 
prehends all  that  is  generally  uuderstqod  bj  the  teniis 
justification  and  sanctification.  For  the  use  and  mean- 
ing of  the  phrase  oc(pe(ri<;  uju..oipTi6;v,  see  Mark  i.  4.  Luke 
1.  77.  iii.  3.  xxi\.  47.  Acts  ii.  38.  v.  31.  x.  43.  xiii. 
38.  xxvi.  18.  Coloss.  i.  14.  Ileb.  x.  18. 

14.  Both  St.  Luke  and  St.  Paul  add,  that,  after  giv- 
ing the  bread,  our  Lord  said,  Do  this  in  remembrance  of 
me.  And,  after  giving  the  cup,  St.  Paul  alone  adds, 
This,  do  ye,  as  oft  as  ye  drink  it,  in  remembrance  of  me. 
The  account  as  given  by  St.  Paul  should  be  carefully 
folloAved,  being  fuller,  and  received,  according  to  his  own 
declaration,  by  especial  revelation  from  God.  See  1  Cor. 
xi.  23.  For  I  have  received  of  the  Lord  that  which  also 
I  delivered  unto  you,  &c. 

As  the  Passover  Avas  to  be  celebrated  anmmlly,  to 
keep  the  original  transaction  in  memory,  and  to  shew 
forth  the  tme  paschal  lamb,  the  Lamb  of  God  that  tak- 
eth  away  the  sin  of  the  world ;  so  after  the  once  offering 
of  Christ  our  Passover  on  the  cross,  he  himself  ordained 
that  bread  and  wine  should  be  used,  to  keep  "  that,  his 
precious  death,  in  remembrance  until  his  coming  again." 
Now,  as  the  paschal  lamb  annually  sacrificed,  brought  to 
the  people's  remembrance  the  Avonderful  deliverance  of 
their  fathers  from  the  Egyptian  bondage  and  tyranny,  so 
the  bread  and  wine  consecrated  and  received  according 
to  our  Saviour  Jesus  Christ's  holy  institution,  was  de- 
signed, by  himself,  to  keep  up  a  continual  remembrance, 
and  lively  representation  of  the  great  atonement  made 
by  his  death  upon  the  cross.  The  doing  this  is  not  in- 
tended merely  to  keep  up  a  recollection  of  Christ,  as  a 
kind  and  benevolent  friend,  Avhich  is  the  utmost  some  al- 
low; but  to  keep  iu  remembrance  his  body  broken  for  us, 
and  his  blood  poured  out  for  u^:    For,  as  the  way  to  the 


<fi 


A   DISCOURSE    ON    THE    NATURE 


Holiest  was  ever  thromrh  his  blood,  and  as  no  man  can 
ever  come  unto  the  Father  but  by  him,  and  none  can  come 
profitably  who  has  not  faith  in  his  blood,  it  was  necessary 
that  this  great  help  to  believing  should  he  frequently  fur- 
nished; as,  in  all  succeeding  ages,  there  would  be  sin- 
ners to  be  saved,  aid  saints  to  be  confirmed  and  esta- 
blished in  their  holy  faith.     Hence  Ave  may  learn,  that 
God  has  made,  at  least,  an  annual  celebration  and  par- 
taking of  the  Lord's  Supper,  as  absolutely  binding  upon 
all  who  expect  salvation  through  the  blood  of  the  cross, 
as  he  did  the  annual  celebration  and  partaking  of  the 
Passover  on  every  soul  in  Israel,  who  desired  to  abide 
in  the  Lord's  covenant,  to  escape  evil,  enjoy  the  divine 
approbation,  and  be  saved  unto  eternal  life.      Those, 
therefore,  who  reject  the  Lord's  Supper,  sin  against  their 
own  mercies,  and  treat  their  Maker  with  the  basest  in- 
gratitude.    He,  in  condescension  to  their  weakness,  has 
been  pleased  to  point  out  to  them  a  very  easy  way  by 
which  they  may  recall  to  their  minds,  and  represent  to 
their  senses,  in  a  most  lively  manner,  the  meritorious 
death  and  passion  of  the  Redeemer  of  the  world  ;  who, 
although  he  could  not  suffer  on  the  cross  more  than  mice, 
has  instituted  an  ordinance,  by  which  that  sacrificial  act 
may  not  only  be  commemorated,  but  even  represented  as 
cjten  as  his  foUowei-s  may  think  proper;  and  all  the 
blessings  purchased  by  his  real  passion  and  death  be  con- 
veyed to  the  souls  of  sincere  communicants,  through  the 
medium  of  this  blessed  ordinance.     The  command.  This 
do  in  remembrance  of  mc,  leaves  us  no  choice.    He  who 
mil  have  us  to  be  saved,  and  come  to  the  knowledge  of 
the  tmth,  will  have  us  to  use,  as  a  mean  of  salvation, 
the  Sacrament  of  his  Supper.     He,  therefore,  who  re- 
fuses to  obey,  boldly  but  awfully  relinquishes  his  right  to 
the  tree  of  life ;  and,  either  ignorant  of  the  righteousness 
of  God,  (his  method  of  justifying  sinners)  or  going  about 


AND    DESIGN    OF    THE    EUCHARIST.  65 

to  establish  his  own  righteousness,  (liis  own  method  of 
obtaining  salvation)  rejects  the  divine  remedy^  in  reject- 
ing the  means  by  which  it  is  conveyed. 

Let  no  man  deceive  his  own  soul,  by  imagining  he  can 
still  have  all  the  benefits  of  Christ's  death,  and  yet  have 
nothing  to  do  with  the  Sacrament:. ...it  is  a  command  of 
the  living  God,  founded  on  the  same  authority  as,  Thou 
skalt  do  no  murder  j  none,  therefore,  can  disobey  it  and 
be  guiltless.     Again,  let  no  man  impose  on  himself  by  the 
supposition,  that  he  can  enjoy  this  supper  spiritually,  with- 
out using  what  too  many  impiously  call  the  carnal  ordi- 
nance ;  i.  e.  w  ithout  eating  bread  and  drinking  wine  in 
remembrance  of  the  death  of  Christ:  Is  not  this  a  delu- 
sion ?  What  says  the  sovereign  will  of  God  ?  Do  this. 
What  is  this?  Why   take  bread,  break,  and  eat  it: 
Take  the  cup,  and  drink  ye  all  of  it  :....this,  and  only 
this,  is  fulfdling  the  Avill  of  God.     Therefore,  the  eating 
of  the  sacramental  bread,  and  the  dnnking  of  the  conse- 
crated wine,  are  essential  to  the  religious  performance  of 
our  Lord's  command.     It  is  true,  a  man  may  use  these, 
and  not  discern  the  Loy^d's  body ;  not  duly  and  deeply 
consider,  that  these  i?)'mbols  point  out  the  body  and  blood 
of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  which  were  offered  up  to  God 
for  him :   i.  e.  he  may,  possibly,  not  keep  the  eye  of  his 
faith  upon  the  atonement,  while  he  is  using  the  symbols, 
and  thus  the  sacred  ordinance  be  no  more  to  him  than  a 
common  thing ;  but  does  not  he  who  rejects  the  symbols, 
put  it  absolutely  out  of  his  power  to  celebrate  the  divine 
ordinance  ?  A  man  may  rest  in  the  letter,  and  not  attain 
the  spirit ;  but  can  a  man,  who  has   it  in  his  power  to 
avail  himself  of  the  letter,   and  does  not  do  it,  consis- 
tently with  the  appointment   of  God,  expect  the  spirit  ? 
The  letter  may  be  without  the  spirit;  but  can  the  spirit, 
in    this  case,  be  without  the  letter.     In  other  words, 
is  not  obedience  to  the  literal  meaning  of  our  Lord's  words 
F.  2 


6@  A   DISCOURSE   ON   THE   NATURE 

essential  to  the  attainment  of  the  spiritual  blessit^gs  to 
^vhich  they  refer  ?  And  is  it  not  as  absurd  to  expect  spi- 
ritual blessings  without  the  use  of  the  appointed  means, 
as  to  expect  to  heai*  sounds  and  see  objects  without  the 
medium  of  the  sun  and  atmosphere  ? 

15,  I  will  not  drink  henceforth  of  this  fruit  of  the 
vinc....These  words  seem  to  intimate  no  more  tlian  this  : 
We  shall  not  have  another  opportunity  of  eating  this 
bread  and  drinking  this  wine  together;  as,  in  a  few  hours, 
my  crucifixion  shall  take  place. 

16.  Until  that  day  when  I  drink  it  new  with  you..., 
i.  e.  I  shall  no  more  drink  of  the  produce  of  the  vine  with 
you;  but  shall  drink  new  wine,....wine  of  a  widely  differ^ 
ent  nature  from  this,....a  w  ine  which  the  kingdom  of  God 
alone  can  afford.  The  term  new,  in  Scripture,  is  often  ta- 
ken in  this  sense.  So,  the  new  heaven,  the  neaf  earth, 
the  NEW  covenant,  the  new  wia/i,....raean  a  heaven,  eart1% 
covenant,  man,  of  a  very  different  nature  from  the  for- 
mer. It  was  our  Lord's  invariable  custom  to  illu^» 
trate  heavenly  things  by  those  of  earth ;  and  to  make 
that  which  had  last  been  the  subject  of  conversation  the 
means  of  doing  it.  Thus  he  uses  wine  here,  of  which 
they  had  lately  drunk,  and  on  which  he  had  held  the  pre- 
ceding discourse,  to  point  out  the  supreme  blessedness  of 
the  kingdom  of  God.  But,  however  pleasing  and  useful 
wine  may  be  to  the  body,  and  how  helpful  soever,  as  an 
ordinance  of  God,  it  may  be  to  the  soul  in  the  holy  Sa- 
crament ;  yet  the  wine  of  the  kingdom,  the  spiritual  en- 
joyments at  the  right  hand  of  God,  will  be  infinitely  more 
precious  and  useful.  From  Avhat  our  Lord  says  liere,  we 
learn,  that  the  Sacrament  of  his  Supper  is  a  type  of  and 
pledge  to  genuine  Christians  of  the  felicity  they  shall  en- 
joy with  Christ  in  the  kingdom  of  glory. 


AND   DESIGN    OF    THE    EUCHARIST.  t)7 

17.  And  when  they  had  sung  a  hymn....vft,v)}FxvTii; 
means,  probably,  no  more  than  a  kind  of  recitative  read- 
ing, or  chanting.  As  to  the  hi/mn  itself,  we  know,  from 
the  universal  coneent  of  Jewisli  antiquity,  that  it  Avas  com- 
posed of  Psalms  1 1 3,  1 1 4,  1 1 5,  1 1 6,  1 1 7,  and  1 1 8,  term- 
ed by  the  Jews  bhry  hakl,  from  n^'lSSn  halehi-yah,  the 
fh'st  word  in  Psalm  113.  These  six  Psalms  were  always 
.sung  at  every  paschal  solemnity. 

Having  thus  minutely  considered  all  the  circumstances 
relating  to  this  institution,  and  distinctly  noted  the  man- 
ner in  which  our  Lord  and  his  disciples  celebrated  it,  I 
come  now, 

III.  To  consider  the  proper  meaning  of  the  different 
Epithets  given  to  this  sacred  ordinance  in  the  ScripUires^ 
and  among  the  early  Christians. 

1.  The  most  ancient,  and  perhaps  the  most  universal, 
eame,  by  which  tliis  sacred  rite  has  been  distinguished,  iSy 
that  of  the  Eucharist.  This  certainly  had  its  origia 
from  our  Lord's  first  celebration  of  this  holy  myster}'. 
For  St.  Luke  and  St.  Paul  both  say,  that,  when  our  Lord 
took  bread,  £t;^jtf»^/fj}o'««$,  having  given  thanks,  he  divided 
it  among  them.  And  though  eyAoyjyra?,  having  blessed, 
is  the  common  reading,  (Matt.  xxvi.  16.)  yet  almost  all 
the  best  MSS.  hitherto  discovered  have  the  former  and 
not  the  latter  word.  From  this  word,  Ev^o'^^'^tec,  the  Eu- 
charist was  formed;  which,  among  the  primitive  Chris- 
tians, meant  solemn  thanksgiving  to  God  for  the  many 
mercies  received,  and  particularly  for  those  confen*ed  by 
the  death  of  our  blessed  Lord.  The  following  quotation 
from  St.  Chr}  sostom  will  shew  in  w  hat  light  this  divine 
ordinance  was  viewed  among  the  early  Christians,  and 
MFhat  they  meant  when  they  termed  it  The  Eucharist  x^ 


68  A   DISCOURSE   ON    THE   NATURE 

Aice  Oi}  rovr*  kxi  roe,  (p^iKu^?)  f^vrti^icc  xxt  7roXXi]<;  ytf^ovrec 
rij<;  G-urr,pix<i,  ret  Kxd^  ty.ots-n^  reMvf^cevx  g-vvccz^iv,  E-fpt^scf /o"r<e6 
K»>i£irx{,  or  I  TToXXav  e^iv  evepyerijf^xreav  xvxf^vtirKi,  kxi  ro 
Ks<px?^xioy  rvii  rov  deov  7r^ovoiX(;  {vhtxvvrxt,  KXt  hx  -Trxvnov 
TTx^xTKevx^et  evxet^n-tiv — Homil.  XXV.  in  Matth.  See 
Suiceri  Thesaur.  in  voc.  Evx»?i(rrix.  "Besides  this," 
says  he,  "tliose  tremendous  mysteries,  replenished  with 
abundance  of  salvation,  which  we  celebrate  in  every  con- 
gregation, are  called  the  Eucharist,  because  they  are 
the  memorial  of  many  benefits,  and  point  out  the  sum  of 
God's  providence,  and  prepare  us  to  give  tliauks  in  all 
things." 

From  this  we  learn,  that  the  Eucharist  among  them, 
as  representing  the  body  and  blood  of  Christ,  was  consi- 
dered as  the  sum  total  of  all  that  the  prescience  of  God 
had  been  planning  and  executing  for  them,  from  the 
foundation  of  tlie  world ;  that  it  was  an  exhibition  of  ire. 
mendous  mijstertes,  such  as  the  necessity  of  the  incarnation 
and  death  of  Jesus  Christ,  the  Almighty's  fellow,  for  the 
sins  of  the  world ;  that,  in  this  sacrifice,  God  had  given  us 
all  possible  blessings ;  and  that,  therefore,  the  Eucharist, 
by  which  these  things  were  called  to  remembrance,  is  the 
means  of  replenishing  faithful  partakers  with  the  plenitude 
of  salvation,  by  which  they  are  enabled  to  walk  upright- 
ly before  God,  and  give  him  due  thanks  for  his  unspeak- 
able gift. 

This  appellative  was  not  only  general  in  the  Greek 
church,  from  whose  language  it  had  its  origin,  but  it  was 
also  common  in  the  Latin  church ;  for,  among  the  western 
Christians  and  Latin  Fathers,  as  early  as  the  times  of 
Cyprian  and  Tertullian^  Eucharistia  meant  what  we 
term  the  Sacrament  of  the  Lord's  Supper.  But  what  is 
more  surprising,  the  term  itself  prevailed  in  the  Oriental 
churclies.  Hence  in  Acts  ii.  42,  where  it  is  said  the  apos- 
tles continued  in  t?  K^cei  rov  x^rov,  the  breaking  of 


AND   DESIGN    OF    THE    EUCHARIST.  69 

bread,  the  Syi'iac  version,  the  oldest  and  purest  extant, 

leads  the    place   thus;    j     ^  m'^QJI    J-jJ^^^ 

uhekatsia  (Pmikaristia,  "  and  iu  the  breakiog  of  the  Eu- 
charist ;"  where  the  reader  sees  the  Greek  v  ord  introdu- 
ced into  a  language  with  which  it  has  no  kind  of  affinity. 
This,  as  being  the  general  name  by  which  it  was  known 
through  all  the  churches  of  God,  and  being  perhaps  the 
most  expressive  of  its  nature,  design,  and  end,  should  still 
be  retained  in  preference  to  any  other. 

2.  Lord's  Supper. ...It  does  not  appear  that  this  name 
was  anciently  used  to  signify  the  Eucharist.  As  our 
Lord  instituted  the  Sacrament  after  supper,  both  have 
been  confounded ;  and,  through  uiadvertence,  the  Eucha- 
rist has  been  blended  with  this  last  supper,  and  called  by 
way  of  emphasis.  The  Lord's  Supper.  In  very  early 
times,  the  Cliristians,  in  imitation  of  our  Lord,  held  a 
supper  before  the  Eucharist,  which  was  termed  AyxTn},  or 
love-feast ;  and  it  is  very  likely  that  it  is  to  this,  and 
not  to  the  Eucharist,  that  St.  Paul  refers,  1  Cor.  xi. 
20:  but  it  appears,  also,  that  both  the  Lord's  Sup- 
per and  the  Eucharist  were  celebrated  by  the  primi- 
tive Christians  at  the  same  meeting,  and  tlius  they  be- 
came confounded ;  and  it  is  evident  that  St.  Paul  refers 
to  both  of  these :  and,  from  his  manner  of  treating  the 
subject,  we  are  led  to  infer  that  they  were  celebrated  at 
the  same  meeting,  and  were,  as  Dr.  VVaterland  observes, 
dilTerents  parts  or  acts  of  the  same  solemnity. 

Though  this  name  is  now  a  pretty  general  appellative 
of  the  Eucharist,  I  cannot  help  thinking  it  a  veiy  impro- 
per one  :  and,  though  the  matter  may  appear  of  small  im- 
portance, I  think,  as  it  is  not  sufficiently  designatory,  it 
should  be  disused. 


iO  Jl   discourse    on    the    NATtRE 

3.  Sacrifice....0«5-/«....I  have  already  produced  some 
proofs  from  Justin  Martyi*,  that  the  Eucharist  Avas  terni- 
a  sacrifice  ainong  the  primitive  Christians;  and  this  tliey 
did....First,  because  it  took  place  of  the  Paschal  Lamb, 
which  all  acknowledge  to  be  an  expiatory  victim.. ..Se- 
condly, because  it  represented  the  atonement  made  by  the 
passion  and  death  of  Christ,  for  the  sins  of  mankind. 
This  notion  of  it  has  been  greatly  abused,  as,  in  the  Ro- 
mish church,  the  bare  ceUhration  of  it  has  been  held 
forth  in  the  light  of  an  expiatory  sacrifice ;  so  that  all  who 
received  it  were  considered  as  having  their  sins  thereby 
cancelled ;  and  they  still  boast  that  no  church  but  theiis 
enjoys  the  benefits  of  the  Eucharist,  because  tliey  alone 
believe  it  to  be  the  very  body  and  blood,  humanity  and 
divinity,  of  JesUs  Christ,  and  consequently  an  available 
offering  and  expiation  for  their  sins.  Thus  they,  most 
unhappily,  put  the  significr  in  the  place  of  the  thing  sig- 
nificd;  and,  resting  in  the  shadow,  they  lose  the  substance, 
and  do  not  discern  the  Lord's  body.  He  that  considers 
the  Eucharist  in  this  point  of  view,  must  necessarily  at- 
tribute to  bread  and  wine  that  infinitely  meritorious  and 
atoning  virtue  which  belong  to  Jesus,  as  dying  for  our 
offences,  and  thus  purging  our  sins  by  his  own  blood. 
From  such  an  awful  and  desti-uctive  perversion  of  this  di- 
vine institution,  may  God  save  tl.em,  and  preserve  us ! 

But,  though  this  ordinance  should  not  be  considered  as 
a  sacrifice,  yet  it  should  be  well  understood  that  it  repre- 
sents one.  And  that  eveiy  communicant  may  derive  all 
the  profit  from  it,  which  it  is  calculated  to  afford,  he 
should  use  it  in  the  spirit  of  sacrifice.  As  it  repre- 
sents a  covenant  sacrifice,  in  which  the  contracting 
parties  mutually  bind  themselves  to  each  other,  (God 
offering  himself  entirely,  by  and  tlirough  Christ,  not 
only  to    evary    true    believer,   but    to   erery  sincere 


AND   DESIGN    OF    THE   EUCHARIST.  ti 

penitent,)  the  communicant  should  consider,  that,  iii  re- 
turn, and  in  order  that  the  covenant  may  be  thoroughly 
ratified,  he  must  give  up-  his  body,  soul,  and  spirit  unto 
the  Lord,  as  a  reasonable,  holy,  and  living  sacrifice; 
firmly  piu'posing  to  devote  every  power  and  faculty  to 
glorify  his  Maker  and  Redeemer,  as  long  as  he  shall 
have  a  being.  He,  who  is  not  fully  determined  to  be 
wholly  on  the  Lord's  side,  should  not  intermeddle  with 
this  sacred  ordinance.  We  have  already  seen,  p.  58, 
that,  in  sacrificing,  the  pounng  out  of  the  blood  of  the 
covenant  victim  ahvays  implied  the  imprecation^  that  his 
blood  who  should  first  violate  the  conditions  of  the  co- 
venant, might  be  shed  in  like  manner  as  that  of  the  sa- 
crifice. Hence  that  saying  of  St.  Paul  (1  Cor.  xi.  29.) 
Far  he  that  eatclh  and  drinkcth  unworthily,  eatcth  and 
drinketh  damnation,  k^i/^x,  judgment  or  condemnation  to 
himself;  i.  e.  he  thereby  forfeits  his  life,  according  to  the 
penal  sanctions  of  the  covenant  expressed  by  pouriug  out 
the  blood,  which  is  the  life  of  the  victim.  "For  this 
cause,'*  says  the  apostle,  "many  are  weak  and  sickly 
among  you;  and  many  sIeep"....some  of  you  s.Ye  dying, 
and  others  dead;  God  having  thus  exacted  the  penalty  of 
a  broken  covenant.  Be  faithful  therefore  to  your  God, 
and  your  soul  shall  live  for  ever. 

4.  Breaking  of  bread.  KA«to-/5  rev  Aprov.., .This 
I  had  long  scrupled  to  admit  as  a  legitimate  appellative 
of  the  Eucharist,  till  I  observed  that  the  Syriac  Version 
has  rendered  the  passages  (Acts  ii.  42.  xx.  7.)  instead 
of  breaking  of  bread,  breaking  the  Eucharist.  See  what 
is  observed  on  this  subject  p.  68.  I  therefore  suppose, 
that  this  was  a  common  name  for  this  sacred  rite  during 
the  apostolic  age ;  but  I  think  it  was  always  used  with  a 
peculiar  emphasis.. ..breaking  of  the  bread,  or  breaking 


% 


A   DISCOURSE   eN    THE    NATURE 


of  THAT  bread,  KAac-<5  rov  A^rov.     That  this  appellative 
descended  loAver  tlian  the  apostolic  t^mes,  Ave  learn  from 
Ignatius's  Epistle  to  the  Ephesians,  chap.  xx.  where, 
speaking  of  the  Eucharist,  he  terms  it  eva  x^rov  xXavrtiy 
0  trt  ipcc^fAocKov  ctQxvxgix^  xxGec^TTj^iov  ocXs^ikukcv^  "breaking 
that  one  bread,  which  is  the  medicine  of  immortality, 
and  the  medicament  Avhich  expels  all  evil ;"  and  Ter- 
tullian  (le  Oratiojie,  chap.   xxiv.  speaking  of  St.  Paul 
breaking  bread  aboard  tlie  vessel,  (Acts  xxvii.  35)  says 
....In  navi  coram  omnibus  Eucharistiam  fecit.     In  the 
ship  lie  celebrated  the  Eucharist^  hi  the  presence  of  them 
all.     It  is  very  easy  to  discover  how  this  appellative 
arose ;  for  at  the  original  institution,  our  Lord  is  said  to 
have  taken  bread,  und  having  given  thanks  lie  brake  it, 
hence  the  whole  act  was  termed  the  breaking  of  bread. 
But  this  name,  as  not  sufficiently  expressive,  seems  soon 
10  have  given  place  to  other  terms,  by  which  the  nature 
and  design  of  this  institution  were  more   forcibly  ex- 
pressed and  better  understood.     It  is  evident,  however, 
that  a  principal  design  of  this  name  was  to  point  out  that 
unity  diud  fellowship  which  these  primitive  disciples  had 
among  themselves,  the  highest  proof  of  which  in  those 
eastern  countries  was,  tlieii-  frequently  breaking  bread, 
or  eating  with  each  other. 

5.  Communion.  KmuDiec.  In  1  Cor.  x.  16,  the 
Eucharist  is  called  the  communion  of  the  body  and  blood 
of  Christ.  As  the  term  Ketyuucc  signifies  not  only  com- 
munion or  fellowship,  but  also  participation,  it  evidently 
signifies  that  the  faithful  partakers  had  thereby  fellow- 
ship or  communion  with  the  Lord  Jesus,  being  made 
partakers  of  the  benefits  of  his  passion  and  death :  so 
that  as  truly  as  their  bodies  were  made  partakers  of  and 
were  nourished  by  the  bread  and  wine,  so  truly  were 


AND   DESIG-N    OF    THE    EUCHARIST.  73 

their  souls  made  partakers  of  the  grace,  7?iind^  and  spirit 
of  the  Lord  Jesus,  so  that  "  they  dwelt  in  God,  and  God 
in  thcvi :  were  otu  with  God,  and  God  \^  ith  themy 

Stiicer  observes  in  Iiis  Thesaurus,  under  the  word 
Kotyavi»i  that  this  term  meant  communion  or  participa- 
tion, in  reference  to  the  Eucharist  (for  it  had  besides, 
dilFerent  meanings)  for  the  following  reasons.  1.  Be- 
cause of  the  union  of  the  faitliful  with  Christ  and  with 
each  other.  2.  Because  believers  are  thereby  not  only 
united  to  Christ,  but  are  also  made  partakers  of  his  king- 
dom. 3.  Because,  through  this  fellowship  or  communion 
they  are  deemed  worthy  of  partaking  of  all  that  apper- 
tains to  Christ. 

In  the  confession  of  faith  of  the  Oriental  churches 
quoted  by  him,  we  find  the  following  remarkable  exposi- 
tion of  this  communion  or  participation.     H  uyioe.  y.otvavtac 

svocvOpuTTVjTxvrot  viot  KXi  Aeyov  Toy  Gtov,  ^t  sj5  eyKevr^iTtiai  as 
>^vr^t>vfA.s6ct  Tov  eticifvtov  Occvurov*  rt^q  ^Kr^iii  ycc^  vyixtVdVFrit; 
xett  oi£i6xXXov<7>;q,  ovk  btQ*  oircoq  f^ij  x,Xi  rovg  KXcx.S'ovq  cvw-' 
yiocif'v  To!.vr7]  koli  cvv^ccXMiv  ^ix7rxvro<;.  vid.  Suic.  Tlie- 
saur.  voc.  Kotvavict. 

"  The  holy  communion  is  a  symbol  of  our  being  in- 
corporated and  engrafted  in  the  incarnated  Son  and 
Word  of  God;  by  which  engrafting  we  are  delivered 
from  eternal  death  :  for  as  the  root  is  sound  and  alw^ays 
flourishing,  it  is  not  possible  that  the  branches  united 
with  it,  should  not  be  sound  and  ever  verdant." 

A  two-fold  communion  is  here  pointed  out,  1.  Com- 
munion with  Christ.  2.  Communion  with  each  other. 
For  1.  The  branches  to  continue  floarishiog,  must  have 
communion  with  the  root,  i.  e.  must  be  nourished  by 
those  very  juices  imbibed  by  the  root ;  and  2.  as  the 
branches,  being  all  equally  partakers  of  the  root,  have 
their  common  support  and  verdure  from  it ;  so  believer? 


T4  A   DISCOURSE   ON    THE   NATURE 

being  all  equally  united  to  Chribt,  and  deriving  all  their 
nourishment  and  support  from  liim,  stand  in  the  same  re- 
lation to  each  other,  as  the  branches  do  in  the  same  tree. 
This  is  the  purport  of  the  folloAring  words  of  our  blessed 
Lord.  I  am  the  vine,  ye  are  the  branches,...!  pray  for 
them  that  they  may  be  one,  even  as  thou  Father  art  in 
me,  and  I  hi  thee.  I  in  them  and  thou  in  me,  that  they 
may  be  made  perfect  in  one. 

6.  Sacrament.. ..Sometimes  called  the  Holy  Sacra- 
tnent,  and  the  Sacrament  oj  the  Lord's  Supper.  The 
reason  and  true  meaning  of  this  appellative  being,  I  con- 
ceive, veiy  little  known,  I  shall  endeavour  to  consider 
this  subject  more  minutely  than  I  have  done  in  any  of 
the  preceding  causes.  Though  this  term  as  applied  to 
the  Eucharist  is  no  where  to  be  found  in  Scripture, 
yet  it  appears  to  have  been  in  use  very  early  in  the 
primitive  church.  The  first  time  it  is  mentioned,  proba- 
bly in  reference  to  this  solemn  act,  is  in  the  well  known 
epistle  of  Pliny  Secundtis,  to  the  Emperor  Trajan.  This 
reiy  learned  and  eminent  statesman  w  as  appointed  by 
the  emperor  to  the  administration  of  affairs,  in  the  pro- 
vince of  Bythinia,  a  country  of  Natolia  or  Asia-Minor, 
bordering  on  the  Euxine  Sea ;  through  different  parts  of 
whose  vicinity  the  Gospel  had  been  preached  by  Paul 
and  Silas,  Acts  xvi.  1,  &c.  and  probably  by  others  be- 
fore them. 

In  this  countiy  multitudes  had  been  converted  to  the 
Lord,  so  that  when  Pliny  came  to  the  government  of  the 
province,  he  found  that  nmlti  omnis  atatis,  omnis  ordinisj 
lUriusque  sexus  eticm,  many  of  every  age,  rank,  and 
sex,  had  embraced  the  Christian  religion  ;  for  "  the  con- 
tagion of  this  superstition,"  as  lie  terms  it,  "  was  not  con- 
fined to  cities,  but  had  diffuted  itself  through  all  the 
ne'ghbcuring  villages  and  countiy,"  Neqve enim  civitates 


AND    DESIGN    OF    THE   ErCHABlST.  75 

tantum,  scd  vicos  etiam  atque  agros  svperstitionis  istim 
contagio  pcrvagata  est.  Finding  the  Christian  cause 
rapidly  gaining  ground,  and  the  temples  almost  entiiely 
deserted,  -and  the  rites  and  ceremonies  of  heathenism 
abandoned,  dcsolata  tcmpla  et  sacra  solemnia  intcrmissa. 
He  published  a  decree,  by  order  of  the  Emperor,  for- 
bidding the  Christian  assemblies  on  pain  of  death.. ..Tlie 
followers  of  Christ  being  hemmed  in  on  every  side,  by 
this  state  persecution,  were  obliged  to  relinquish  their 
meetings  very  generally,  so  that  those  which  were  held, 
were  confmed  to  the  sabbath,  and  then  only  before 
day. 

This  subjected  so  many  to  accusation  and  consequent 
death,  that  the  governor's  heart  began  to  relent,  and  he 
wrote  to  the  Emperor,  proposing  a  number  of  questions  for 
direction  in  this  important  business ;  transmitting  to  him 
at  the  same  time,  the  sum  of  all  the  charges  that  could  be 
legally  substantiated  against  the  Christians.  This  most 
important  piece  of  church  history,  so  honourable  to  the 
followers  of  Christ,  and  disgraceful  to  their  persecutors, 
and  in  which  we  find  the  first  mention  of  Sacrament,  is  still 
extant  in  Plhiy's  Epistles,  lib.  x.  Epist.  97.  vol.  ii.  p.  127. 
Edit.  Bipont.  1789.  8vo.  Affirmabant,  auteyn,  hanc  fu- 
isse  swmnam  vel  cidpce  vel  erroris,  quod  esse?it  soliti  stato 
DIE  ante  luccm  convenire  ;  carmenque  Christo,  quasi  Deo, 
dicere  secum  invicem :  seque  SACRA  MENTO  no?i  in  see- 
lus  aliquod  OBSTRINGERE,  sed  nefurta,  nc  latrocinia, 
ne  adulteria  committer cnt,  ne  fidemfallerent,  ne  depositum 
appellati  abnegarent :  quibus  peractis,  morem  sibi  disceden- 
di  fuisse  rursusque  coeundi  ad  capiendum  cibum,  promis- 
cuum  tamen,  et  innoxium.  "They  aliirmed,  that  the 
whole  of  their  fault  or  error  was  this ;  that  they  were  ac- 
customed to  meet  together  on  a  certain  day  (stato  die,  the 
sabbath)  before  day-light;  and  siiig  a  hymn  bv  turns,  (viz. 
a  responsive  song)  to  Christ  as  their  God,  and  to  bind 


/^  A   DISCOTJRSE   ON   THE   NATURE 

themselves  by  a  solemn  oath,  (by  a  sacrament)  not  foi- 
any  wicked  purpofee,  but  not  to  be  guilty  of  tiieft,  robbe- 
ry, cr  adultery :  not  to  violate  their  faith,  nor  to  deny  any 
deposit  when  called  on  to  deliver  it  up :  haviog  done  these 
things,  it  was  their  custom  to  separate,  and  afterwards 
to  re- assemble  to  eat  in  common  an  inoffensive  meal." 

There  is  eveiy  reason  to  believe  that  Pliny  refers  here 
to  that  partaking  of  the  Eucharist,  and  the  solemn  engage- 
ments they  entered  into  with  God,  when  receiving  that  sa- 
cred ordinance,  to  depart  from  eveiy  appearance  of  evil ; 
and  render  up,  in  affectionate  obedience,  their  bodies, 
souls,  and  spirits  to  their  Maker. 

The  word  sacramentum  properly  means  the  military 
oath,  which  every  Roman  soldier  was  obliged  to  take  of 
fidelity  and  obedience  to  his  general.  From  this  we  may 
learn  both  the  reason  and  meaning  of  the  term  sacrament, 
as  applied  to  the  Eucharist.  Considering  the  various  op- 
positions which  the  disciples  of  Christ  might  expect  to 
meet  with  from  the  devil  and  his  servants,  and  Avhich  they 
were  expected  to  resist,  continuing  faithful  even  at  the 
hazard  of  their  lives;  all  that  embraced  the  Gospel  were 
represented  as  enlisting  themselves  under  the  banner  of 
Christ,  whose  faithful  soldiers  they  promised  to  be.  And, 
as  the  captain  of  their  salvation,  was  made  perfect  by  suf- 
ferings, they  were  expected  to  follow  him  in  the  same  path, 
loving  not  their  lives  even  unto  (kath.  Now,  as  in  the  holy 
Eucharist  their  obligations  to  their  divine  leader  were  set 
before  them  in  the  most  impressive  and  affecting  point  of 
view,  they  made  this  their  covenant  sacrifice  an  occasion 
of  binding  themselves  afresh  to  their  Lord,  to  fight 
manfully  under  his  banner.  If  etice,  as  there  was  a  con- 
tinual reference  to  the  Sacramentnm,  or  military  oath,  the 
blessed  ordinance  itself  appears  to  have  been  termed  the 
sacrament,  because  in  it  they  took  the  vows  of  the  Lord 
upon  them;   and  as  often  as   they  celebrated  this  sa- 


AND   DESIGN    OF    THE   EUCHARIST.  /7 

cred  ordinance,  they  ratified  the  covenant  engagements 
which  tliey  had  made  at  their  baptism. 

What  was  the  matter,  and  what  the  precise  words  of 
tliis  oath,  is  a  subject  of  inquiry  at  once  both  curious  and 
useful.  The  very  form  and  matter  of  the  oath  are  both 
preserved  in  Polybius,  and  a  careful  view  of  them  cannot 
iail  to  cast  much  light  on  the  subject  now  under  considera- 
tion.  In  Histor.  lib.  vi.  s.  1.  where  he  is  giving  an  ac- 
count of  the  manner  of  raising,  embodying,  and  enrolling 
the  Roman  troops,  he  observes,  that  when  all  the  pro- 
per arrangements  were  made,  and  the  diiTerent  compa- 
nies formed,  the  Chiliarch,  or  military  tribune,  selecting  a 
proper  person  from  all  the  rest,  propounded  the  Sacramen- 
tmn,  or  oath  of  fidelity  and  obedience,  who  immediately 
swore  asfolloAVs:  H  MHN  nElGAPXHSEIN  KAI  nOIH- 
2EIN  TO  nPOSTATTOMENON  YHO  THN  APXONTi^N 
KATA  ATNAMIN.  Ot  h  MtTrot  7rxvTB<i  eix.Mvevs'i  Koi6*svo6 
?r^7rop;vc/icevot  rov  T*etvTo  J^jjAot/yTfj  on  "yronirovcri,  ttccvtcc 
%x6x7re^  o  tt^a/Tos  :  "  SUBMISSIVELY  TO  OSEY  AND  PERFORM 
WHATSOEVER  IS  COMMANDED  BY  THE  OFFICERS,  ACCORD- 
ING   TO  THE    UTTERMOST    OF  HIS   POAVER.       Thc   PCSt   all 

coming  forward,  one  by  one,  take  successively  the  same 
oath,  that  they  would  perform  eveiy  thing  according  to 
what  the  first  had  SAvoru."....Vide  Polyb.  a  GranoviOy 
8vo.  Amsterdam,  1 670.  vol.  1.  p.  650.  Here,  then,  is  the 
meaning  of  the  word  Sacrament,  so  frequently  used  in  the 
primitive  chiu'ch,  and  still  common  among  the  major  part 
of  Christians,  who  acknowledge  the  divine  obligation  of 
the  Euchaiist,  and  Avho  break  bread  and  drink  wine  in  re- 
membrance  that  Jesus  Christ  died  fmr  them.  He,  there- 
fore, who  comes  to  this  ordinance  in  the  true  primitive  spi- 
rit, binds  himself  to  God  by  the  most  solemn  vow,  that  he 
will  acknowledge  him  for  his  Uader  and  director  ;  sitbfnit 
implicitly  to  his  authority,  perform  his  righteous  cotn- 
G  2 


78 


A    DISCOURSE    ON    THE    NATURE 


9mnds,  and  exert  the  uttermost  powers  of  liis  body  and 
soul  in  the  sei-vice  of  his  Redeemer. 

7.  Paschal  Feast,  or  Passover.  This  m  as  a  veiy 
ancient  title,  and  out  of  it  many  others  of  a  similar  import 
grew,  such  as  God's  Feast,  or  Bangiuet,  the  Lord's  Ta- 
ble, the  Spiritual  Passover,  the  Sacramental 
Feast,  &:c.  ;  all  of  which  seem  to  have  had  their  origin  in 
the  consideration  that  tlie  Eucharist  succeeded  to  tlie 
Passover,  which  was  clearly  founded  on  St.  PauPs  words, 
1  Cor.  v.  7,  8.  Christ  our  Passover  is  sacnficcd  Jor  us, 
therefore  let  us  keep  the  Feast.  Dr.  Cudworth,  who 
has  written  a  very  learned  discourse  on  "  The  true  No- 
tion of  the  Lord's  Supper,"  has  fully  proved,  chap.  1. 
"  That  it  was  a  custom  among  the  Jews  and  heathens  to 
feast  upon  things  sacrificed;  and  that  the  custom  of  Chris- 
tians, in  partaking  of  the  body  and  blood  of  Christ  once 
sacrificed  upon  the  cross,  in  the  Lord's  Supper,  is  analo- 
gical hereunto."  And  he  proves,  in  chap.  2.  from  Scrip- 
ture and  from  Jewish  authors,  that  "  the  passover  was  a 
true  sacrifice,  and  the  paschal-feast,  a  feast  upon  a  sacri- 
fice." And  in  chap.  4,  he  demonstrates,  "  That  the 
Lord's  Supper  in  the  Christian  church,  in  reference  to 
the  true  sacrifice  of  Christ,  is  a  parallel  to  the  feasts  upon 
sacrifices  both  in  the  Jewish  religion  and  heathenish 
supei-stition."  And  concludes,  in  chap.  5.  ''That  the 
Lord's  supper  is  not  a  sacrifice,  but  a  feast  upon  a  sa- 
crifice." 

Dr.  Cudworth  properly  divides  the  sacrifices  under  the 
law  into  three  kinds.  First,  Such  as  were  wholly  offered 
to  God,  and  burnt  upon  the  altars,  as  the  holocausts,  or 
burtit-ojfcrings,  mSi;r  oloth....Secondly,  Such  as  the 
PRIESTS  ate  a  part  of,  besides  a  part  offered  to  God  upon 
the  Hlr^r;  as  the  sin-offerings,  riKian  chattath,  and  the 
trespass-offerings,  DB'X   ashem,...Thiidly,   Such  as  the 


AND   DESI&N    OF    THE    EUCHARIST.  79 

OWNERS  themselves  had  a  part  of,  besides  a  part  bestow- 
ed on  tlie  priests,  and  a  portion  offered  to  God:  these 
Avere  termed  the  ZD'Dh\if  shelamim,  or  peace-offerings ^ 

That  the  Gentiles  feasted  on  the  sacrifices  offered  to 
tlieir  gods,  eveiy  one  knoAvs  who  has  read  the  Greek  and 
Roman  classics ;  of  this,  the  following  proofs  cannot  be  un- 
acceptable to  any  intelligent  reader.  In  Iliad  A.  Homer 
describes  a  hecatomb  sacrifice,  which  Agamemnon  offered 
to  Apollo,  by  his  priest  Chiyses,  and  a  feast  that  imme- 
diately folloM  ed :.... 

rot  ^*  uKcc  Qetu  xAe/Tjjv  sKXTofJ^ii^ 

Then  before  the  shrine 

Magnificent,  in  order  due  they  rang'd 

I'he  noble  hecatotnb  !  Ver.  446. 

Kvrof,^  i'Ttti  f '  ev^xvro,  Kcct  ovM^vrx<i  t^o^uXovto,  x.  t.  A. 

and  with  meal 

Sprinkling  the  victims,  their  retracted  necks 
#  Virsi pierced,  \henjluyed  them.  Ver.  45S. 

MiJ^OVq  r*   £^£TXf4,6V ,  KXTCC   Tf   KVt<rT»l  SKUXv^^XV ,    K.  T.   A. 

the  thighs  with  fire  consumed. 

They  gave  to  each  his  portion  of  the  maw. 

Then  slash'd  the  remnant^  pierc'd  it  with  the  spits. 

And,  managing  with  culinary  skill. 

They  roast ;  withdrew  it  from  the  spits  again. 

Their  whole  task  thus  accomplish*d,  and  the  board 

Set  forth,  they  feasted,  and  were  all  suffic'd. 

Ver.  460—68, 

In  the  second  Iliad,  Agamemnon  offers  an  ox  to  Jupiter, 
and  invites  several  of  the  Grecian  captains  to  partake  of 
it: 


80  A   DISCOURSE   ON    THE    NATURE 

Avru§  c  Qovv  te^svTsv  eevet|  unS'^av  AyttfJLifMuv.   k.  t.  A. 

But  Agamemnon  in  his  tent  prepar'd 
For  sacrificcy  to  all-commanding  Jove, 
A  fifth-year  fatted  ox,  and  to  his  feast 
SuTTimon^d  the  noblest  of  the  sona  of  Greece. 

II.  B.  V.  403—431. 
In  Odyssey,  r.  Nestor  sacrifices  an  ox  to  Minerva,  in 
behalf  of   Telemachus  and  his  friends,  on  which  they  all 
afterwards  feasted. 

Avrx^  eTret  y.strot  fAr,^^ tKotvi ,  xeci  (TTirXsx.yyy  s-^xtccvto,  k.  t.  A,  . 

The  thighs  consum'd. 

They  ate  the  interior  part,  then  slicing  them, 
Tlie  remjiant,  pierc'd  and  held  it  to  the  fire. 
The  viands  dress'd,  and  from  the  spits  withdrawn. 
They  sat  to  share  the  feast, 

Odyss.  r  V.  461—471. 

In  the  same  book,  the  Pylians  are  represented  sacrifi- 
cing eighty-one  black  bulls  to  Neptune,  at  which  were 
present  4,500  persons,  who,  having  offered  the  thighs  to 
their  god,  feasted  on  the  entrails,  and  the  rest  of  the  flesh. 

See  Cowper's  Homer. — Odyss,  HI.  v.  1,  8;c, 

Plato,  in  his  second  book,  De  Legibus,  acknowledges 
iuch  feasts  under  the  name  of  Eo^rai  f^rct  Cetev,  Feasts 
AFTER  divine  worship. 

Virgil  refers  to  the  same  custom.  Eclogue  iii.  v.  ver. 
77. 

Cum  faciavi  Vituid,  pro  frugibus,  ipse  venito. 

"When,  instead  of  offering  fruits,  I  shall  sacrifice  a 
iieifer,  come  thou  to  the  feast.'''' 

And  thus  in  jEneid.  v.  1 79.  Evander  entertains  ^ne- 


Tum  lecti  juvenes  certatim,  arseque  sacerdoe. 
Viscera  tosta  fenint  taurorum — 


AND   DESIGN    OF    THE   EUCHARIST.  81 

Vescitiir  jEneas  simul  et  Trojana  juvenlus, 
Perpetui  tergo  bovis  et  lustralibus  extis. 

"  Then  chosen  }  outlis,  and  the  priest,  with  great  de- 
spatcli  heap  on  the  altar  the  broiled  intestines  of  bulls.... 
jEneas,  and  with  him  the  Trojan  youth,  feast  on  the  chine 
and  halloned  viscera  of  an  ox." 

The  ancient  Perbiaiis  were  accustomed  to  pour  out  the 
blood  of  the  victims  to  their  gods,  and  then  feast  on  tlie 
flesh.  And  the  ancient  Arabians  did  the  same  in  their 
camel  feasts.  And,  as  Dr.  Cud  worth  properly  observes. 
From  this  custom  of  the  heathens  of  feasting  upon  sacri- 
fices^ arose  that  famous  controversy  among  the  primitive 
Christians,  (noticed  in  the  New  Testament)  "Avhether  it 
be  lawful  [ea-dien  ti^uXoivrcc,^  to  eat  things  sacrificed  to 
idols."  Indeed,  this  custom  was  so  common  among  the 
ancient  heathens,  that  he  who  made  use  of  any  flesh  at 
his  table,  which  had  not  been  offered  to  the  gods,  was 
deemed  a  profane  person.  Hence  the  Greek  proverb, 
et6vTx  £<!-6(eiv,  to  eat  things  which  had  not  been  sacrificed, 
was  used  as  a  brand  of  a  notoriously  wicked  man. 

I  cannot  deny  myself  the  pleasure  of  laying  the  sub- 
stance of  Dr.  Cud  worth's  "  Demonstration,  that  the  Lord's 
supper  in  the  Christian  church,  in  reference  to  the  true  sa- 
crifice of  Christ,  is  a  parallel  to  the  feasts  upon  sacrificeSy 
both  in  the  Jewish  religion  and  heathenish  superstition ;" 
which  he  proves  from  a  passage  in  Scripture,  1  Cor.  x. 
where  all  these  three  are  compared  together,  and  made 
exact  parallels  to  each  other. 

Ver.  ^....Wherefore,  my  dearly  beloved,  fiee  from 
idolatry. 

Ver.  1 5. ...I  speak  as  to  wise  men :  judge  ye  what  I  say, 

Ver.  \Q....The  cup  of  blessing,  which  we  bless:  is  it 
not  the  communion  of  the  blood  of  Christ  ?  The  bread 
which  we  break,  is  it  not  the  conmiunion  of  the  body  of 
Christ? 


82  A   DISCOURSE    ON    THE    NATURE 

Ver.  IS. ...Behold  Israel  after  the  flesh :  arc  not  they 
which  eat  of  the  sacnficcs,  partakers  of  tJie  altar  f 

Ver.  20....Norv,  I  say^  that  the  things  which  the  Gen- 
tiles sacrifice^  they  sacrifice  to  devils,  {IxifMuoK;  daemonB) 
and  not  to  God:  and  I  would  not  that  ye  should  have  fel- 
lowship with  devils,  (^koivuvovs  tuv  ^oci/xoviejv  ytveT^xt^ 
that  }  e  should  not  be  participators  with  daemons.) 

Ver.  21....Fc  cannot  drink  the  cup  of  the  Lord,  and 
the  cup  of  devils:  (^cc(n.oviav  daemons)  i/e  cannot  be  par- 
takers of  the  Lmd's  table  and  the  table  of  devils.  (^«k- 
ftov^wv  daemons.) 

In  these  passages,  the  design  of  the  apostle  is  to  con- 
Tince  the  Corinthians  of  the  unlawfulness  of  eating  things 
sacrificed  to  idols;  and  he  does  this  by  shewing  that 
though  an  idol  is  nothing  in  the  worlds  and  things  sacri- 
ficed to  idols  physically  nothing,  as  differing  from  other 
meats,  yet  morally  and  circumstantially  to  eat  of  things 
sacrificed  to  idols,  in  the  idol's  temple,  was  to  consent  to 
the  sacrifices,  and  to  be  guilty  of  them. 

This  he  illustrates  first,  from  a  parallel  rite  in  the 
Christian  religion;  where  the  eating  and  drinking  of 
bread  and  wine  in  the  Eucharist,  as  representing  the 
body  and  blood  of  Christ,  offered  to  God  upon  the  cross 
for  us  is  a  real  communication  in  his  death  and  sacrifice. 
ver.  1 6.  The  cup  of  blessing  which  we  bless,  is  it  not  tlu 
cmnmunion  of  the  blood  of  Christ  ?  The  bread,  which  we 
break,  is  it  not  the  communion  of  the  body  of  Christ  ? 

Secondly,  from  another  parallel  of  the  same  rite  among 
the  Jews,  where  they  who  ate  were  always  accounted 
partakers  of  the  altar,  that  is,  of  the  sacrifice  offered  on 
the  altar.  Behold  Israel  after  the  flesh ;  are  not  they 
which  cat  of  the  sacrifices  partakers  of  the  altar  ?....yev, 
18. 

Therefore,  as  to  cat  the  symbols  of  the  body  and  blood 
of  Christ  in  the  Eucharist,  is  to  partake  of  his  sacrifice 


AND   DESIGN    OF    THE   EUCHARIST.  83 

offered  up  to  God  for  us ;  and,  as  to  eat  of  the  Jewish 
sacrifices  under  the  law,  was  to  partake  in  the  legal 
sacrifices  themselves :  so^  to  eat  ol  things  offered  up  in 
sacrifice  to  idols,  Avas  to  be  partakers  of  the  idol  sacri- 
fices^ and  therefore  was  unlaAvful :  for  the  things  which  the 
Gentiles  sacrifice^  they  sacrifice  to  devils,  but  Christ's 
body  and  blood  were  offered  up  in  sacrifice  to  GOD, 
and  therefore  they  could  not  partake  of  both  together, 
the  sacrifice  of  the  true  God^  and  the  sacrifice  of  devils, 
St.  Paul's  argument  here  must  necessarily  suppose  a 
perfect  analogy  between  these  three,  and  that  they  are 
all  parallels  to  each  other;   or  else  it  has   no   force. 
Therefore,  I  conclude  that  the  Lord's  Supper  is  the  same 
among  Christians  in  respect  of  the  Christian  sacrifice,  as 
the  Jewish  feasts  or  sacrifices  were  among  th/'in ;  and 
the  feasts  upon  idol  sacrifices  were  among  the  Gentiles  ; 
and  consequently,  that  the  Eucharist  is  Ejndum  sacrifir 
dale,  or  ejmlum  ex  ohlatis,  that  is,  a  feast  upon  a  sacri- 
fice. Q,.  E.  D....TrMC  notion  of  the  Lord's  Supper,  fourth 
cd.  p.  26. 

Having  thus  sufficiently  shewn  that  the  Eucharist  is 
properly  ^ feast  upon  a  sacrifice,  I  shall  now  consider  it 
particularly  in  the  light  of  a  feast. 

Aulus  Gellius,  (JNToctes  Atticje,  lib.  xiii.  c.  11.  Edit. 
Bipont.  vol.  ii.  p.  60.)  informs  us,  that  Marcus  Varro 
wrote  a  treatise,  entitled,  Quid  Vesper  serus  Vehat. 
What  may  the  close  of  the  day  produce  ?  in  w  hich  he 
speaks  of  feasts,  the  proper  number  and  quality  of 
cxESTs,  and  the  custom  and  management  of  the  enter- 
tainment itself. 

A  feast,  says  he,  is  just  what  it  should  be,  omnibus  suis 
numeris  ahsolutum  est,  when  made  up  of  these /owr  cir- 
cumstances....]. Si  belli  homunculi  collecti  sunt. ...2.  Si 
locus  electus....3.  Si  tempts  lectum.,, A.  Si  apparatus  non 
ncglectits. 


84  A    DISCOUltSB    ON    THE    NATURE 

1.  Decent  respectable  persons. 

2.  A  convenient  aiid  proper  flace^ 

3.  A  suitable  time.     And, 

4.  Proper  cheer  and  accommodations. 

I  shall  take  these  things  in  order,  and  apply  them  to  a 
proper  celebration  of  the  Eucharist,  considered  in  the 
light  of  a  religious  feast. 

1.  Decent,  respectable  persons... .If  ever  attention 
should  be  paid  to  this  subject,  it  is  wlien  God  provides 
the  entertainment,  and  condescends  to  sit  do^vn  with  the 
guests.  St.  Paul  has  taken  up  this  subject  in  a  particu- 
lar manner,  (1  Cor.  xi.  27,  <fec.)  and  it  is  highly  neces- 
sary that  we  should  weigh  his  important  advice. 

He  asserts,  (v.  27.)  Whosoever  shall  eat  this  bread 
and  drink  this  cup  unworthily,  shall  be  guilty  of  the  body 
and  blood  of  Christ.  From  this  Ave  learn,  that  improper 
communicants  are  in  a  very  awful  state.  These  may  be 
divided  into  two  classes,  the  inconsiderate  and  the  un^ 
godly.  Of  the  former  cbss.  there  are  multitudes  among 
the  different  societies  of  Christians.  They  know  not 
the  Lord,  and  discern  not  the  operation  of  his  hands : 
lieuce  they  go  to  the  Lord's  table  from  a  mere  sense  of 
duty  or  propriety,  without  considering  Avhat  the  sacred 
elements  represent,  or  feeling  any  hunger  after  the  bread 
that  endureth  unto  eternal  life.  These  really  profane 
the  ordinance,  by  either  not  devoting  it  to  the  end  of 
its  institution,  or  by  perverting  that  end.  Among  these 
may  probably  be  ranked  those  who  believe  not  in  the 
vicarious  sufferings  and  death  of  the  blessed  Redeemer. 
....They  also  receive  the  I  ord's  Supper,  but  they  do  it 
as  a  testimony  of  respect  and  friendly  remembrance.... 
these  do  not  discern  the  Lord's  body  ;  do  not  see  that 
this  bread  represents  his  body  which  was  broken  for  them, 
and  his  blood  which  Avas  spilt  for  the  remissiion  of  sins. 
Their  celebration  of  this  ordinance  is  an  absolute  profa- 


AND    BESIGN    OF    THK    EUCHARIST.  Qtf 

natioQ  of  it,  forasmucli  as  Ihey  do  it  to  another  purpose 
tlian  that  for  which  Christ  instituted  it.  It  was  a  maxim 
among  the  rabbins,  "That  if  the  Paschal  Lamb  was 
slain  in  its  own  name,  and  the  blood  sprinkled  as  that  of 
another  sacrifice,  the  whole  was  polluted.".... Or,  "if  the 
offerer  changed  his  intention,  during  the  solemnity,  and 
in  the  purpose  of  his  mind,  changed  the  sacrifice,  it  wa-s 
polluted."  See  Mishna  Tract.  Pesachim,  This  was 
doubtless  true  of  the  Passover,  and  no  less  so  of  the  An- 
titype, for  in  Christ  crucified,  a  greater  than  the  Paschal 
Lamb  is  here.  If  the  blessed  God  has  instituted  this 
solemnity  to  bring  to  remembrance  the  death  of  Christ 
as  a  sacrifice  for  sin,  and  a  person  calling  himself  a 
Christian,  comes  forward  to  the  sacred  feast,  with  a 
creed  determnied  against  this  scriptural,  and  indeed  only 
religious  use  of  it,  does  he  not  in  heart  change  the  sacri^ 
jice  P  are  not  the  crucifixion  of  the  body,  and  the  spilling 
of  the  blood,  perverted  from  their  grand  purpose ;  and 
the  awful  solemnity  polluted  in  his  hands  ?  He  pretends 
to  remember  Christ  crucified,  but  he  commemorates  the 
sprinkling  of  his  blood  not  as  an  atonement  firr  sin,  but 
"  as  a  necessary  consequence  of  Jewish  malice,  and  of 
the  unshaken  integrity  of  tlie  founder  of  Christianity, 
w  ho,  to  convince  the  Avorld  that  he  was  sincere,  and  that 
his  doctrines  were  all  ti*ue,  submitted  to  a  painful  and 
ignominious  deatli !"  Is  not  this  eatiiig  and  drinking  un- 
wm^thily?  Can  such  persons  have  ever  carefully  exa- 
mined the  book  of  Ood,  relative  to  this  matter  .^  If  they 
have  not,  they  are  greatly  to  be  pitied,  and  greatly  to  be 
blamed:  if  they  have,  and  still  refuse  to  acknowledge 
Him  who  died  for  them,  their  case  is  peculiarly  deplo- 
rable. 

Of  the  ungodly,  as  comprehending  transgreFSoi-s    of 
all  descriptions,  little  need  be  said  in  proof  of  their  un- 
worthiness.     Such,  coming  to  the  table  of  the  Lord,  eat 
u 


80  A   DISCOURSE   ON    THE    NATURfe 

and  drink  their  own  condemnation,  as  tliey  profess  by 
this  religious  act  to  acknowledge  the  virtue  of  that  blood 
w  hich  cleanseth  from  all  unrighteousness,  while  themselves 
are  slaves  of  sin.  Those  who  sin  against  the  remedy 
must  perish ;  and  it  is  their  condemnation,  that  God  had 
provided  a  ransom  for  their  souls,  but  they  refused  to  ac- 
cept ii;  and  preferred  the  bondage  of  sin  to  the  liberty 
of  the  Gospel.  JVone  such  should  ever  be  permitted  to  ap- 
proach the  table  oi  the  Lord :  if  they  (through  that  gross 
ignorance  which  is  the  closely  wedded  companion  of  prof- 
ligacy) are  intent  on  their  ow  n  destruction,  let  the  minis- 
ters of  God  see  that  the  ordinance  be  not  profaned  by  the 
admission  of  such  disreputable  and  iniquitous  guests.  In 
many  Christian  churches  tliere  is  a  deplorable  lack  of  at- 
tention to  this  circumstance.... professor  and  profane  are 
often  permitted  to  approach  the  sacred  ordinance  to- 
o^ther;  in  consequence  of  which  the  sincere  folloAvers  of 
God  are  wounded,  the  weak  stumbled,  and  the  influences 
of  the  Spirit  of  God  restrained.  For,  can  it  be  expected 
that  God  will  manifest  his  approbation  when  the  pale  of 
liis  sanctuaiy  is  broken  dov.ii,  and  the  beasts  of  the 
foiKist  introduced  into  the  Holy  of  Holies?  The  evil 
consequent  on  this  cannot  be  calculated :  and  these  are 
justly  chargeable  to  the  account  of  those  who  have  the 
manairement  of  this  sacred  ordinance.  No  man  should 
be  permitted  to  approach  the  table  who  is  not  known  to 
be  a  steady,  consistent  character,  or  a  thorough  penitent. 
If  there  be  an  indiscriminate  admission,  there  must  be  un- 
worthy communicants,  who,  instead  of  receiving  the  cup 
of  salvation,  will  wring  out  the  dregs  of  the  cup  of  tremb- 
lin<';  for  ^ve  may  rest  assured  that  this  ordinance  is  no 
indiffereyit  thing:  every  soul  that  approaches  it  will  either 
receive  good  or  evil  from  it....he  will  retire  a  better  or  a 
worse  man....he  will  have,  either  an  increase  of  the  Spi- 
rit of  Christ  or  of  Judas.. ..on  him  the  Lord  v  ill  gracious- 


AND    DESIGN    OF    THE    EUCHARIST.  87 

[y  smile  or  judicially  lVown....It  may  be  here  asked, 
"  who  then  should  approach  this  awful  ordinance  ?"  I  an- 
swer, every  believer  in  Cinist  Jesus  who  is  saved  from 
his  sins,  has  a  right  to  come.  Such  are  of  the  family  oj 
God;  and  this  bread  belongs  to  the  children.  On  this 
there  can  be  but  one  opinion.  2dly,  Every  genuine  pe- 
nitent is  invited  to  come,  and  consequently  has  a  right,  be- 
cause he  needs  the  atoning  blood,  and  by  this  ordinance, 
the  blood  shed  for  the  remission  of  sins  is  expressively 
represented.  "  But  I  am  not  worthy."  And  who  is  ? 
There  is  not  a  saint  upon  earth,  or  an  archangel  in  hea- 
ven, who  is  worthy  to  sit  doAvn  at  the  table  of  the  Lord. 
"  But  does  not  the  apostle  intimate  that  none  but  the  wor- 
thy should  partake  of  it  ?"  No :  He  has  said  nothing  of 
the  kind;  he  solemnly  reprehends  those  who  eat  and 
drink  unworthily,  and  consequently  approves  of  those  who 
partake  worthily. ...hwi  there  is  an  essential  difference  be- 
tween eating  and  dnnking  worthily,  and  being  worthy 
thus  to  eat  and  drink.  He  eats  and  drinks  unworthily, 
who  does  not  discern  the  Lord^s  body  ;  i.  e.  who  does  not 
consider  that  this  bread  represents  his  body,  which,  in  a 
sacrificial  way,  was  broken  for  him ;  and  this  cup,  his 
blood,  which  was  poured  out  for  the  multitudes,  for  the  re- 
mission of  sins.  The  genuine  believer  receives  the 
Lord's  Supper  in  the  remembrance  of  the  atonement 
which  he  has  received,  and  of  the  blood  which  he  ex- 
pects is  to  cleanse  liim  from  all  unrighteousness,  or  to  keep 
him  clean,  if  that  change  has  already  taken  place  in  his 
soul.  The  penitent  should  receive  it  in  reference  to  the 
atonement  which  he  needs,  and  without  which  he  knows 
he  must  perish  everlastingly.  Thus,  none  are  excluded 
but  tlie  impenitent,  the  transgressor,  and  the  profane. 
Believers,  however  weak,  have  a  right  to  come ;  and  the 
strongest  m  faith  need  the  grace  of  this  ordinance.  Peni- 
tents >hoidd  come,  as  all  the  promises  of  pardon  mention- 


^  A   DISCOURSE   ON    THE   NATURE 

ed  in  the  Bible  are  made  to  such ;  and  he  that  is  athirst 
may  take  the  water  of  life  freely.  None  is  worthy  of 
tlie  entertainment  (though  all  these  will  partake  of  it 
worthily ;)  but  it  is  freely  provided  by  Him  Avho  is  the 
Lamb  of  God,  who  was  slain  for  us,  and  is  worthy  to  re- 
ceive glory  and  majesty,  dominion  and  power,  for  ever 
and  ever ! 

In  the  same  tract  of  Varro,  mentioned  above,  he  says, 
that  "  in  a  feast  well  constituted,  (convivarum  numemm 
incipere  cj^portere  a  graiiarum  numero,  et  progredi  ad 
musarum  ;)  we  should  begin  with  the  Graces  and  end  with 
the  Muses  ;"  by  which  he  did  not  merely  mean,  as  Gel- 
lius  says,  that  in  a  feast  there  should  never  be  fewer  than 
three,  never  more  than  nine  ;  but  that  everj^  feast  should 
be  commenced  with  order,  decency,  bxhA gracefulness,  and 
should  terminate  in  the  increase  of  social  affection.^  and  the 
general  happiness  of  the  guests.     All  those  who  come  to 
this  Gospel  feast,  should  come  in  that  spirit  in  which  they 
may  expect  to  meet  and  please  their  God,  have  thereby 
their  brotherly  love  increased,  and  their  happiness  in  God 
considerably  augmented.     It  is  in  reference  to  this  point, 
(the  increase  of  brotherly  affection  and  communion  with 
God)  that  the  apostle  says,  ( 1    Cor.  v.  7,  8.)  to  the  con- 
tentious and  unloving  Christians  at  Corinth,  among  whom 
were  dissensions  and  schisms.  Purge  out  the  old  leaven^ 
that  ye  may  he  a  new  and  unleavened  lump :  for  even 
Christ,  our  P  -ssover,  is  sacrificed  for  us  ;  therefore  let  us 
keep  the  feast^  not  with  old  leaven,  neither  with  the  lea- 
ven  of  malice  and  nickedness,  hut  with  the  unleavened 
brevid  of  sinceHty  and  truth.     We   have  already   seen 
with  what  care  the  ancient  Jews  purged  their  houses  of 
leaven :    and  what  pains  tliey  took  to  have  themselves, 
the^r  liouses,  and  their  utensils  pure.     This  they  did  by 
the  express  command  of  God.   (Exod.  xxiii.   18.)av]io 
meant  thereby  not  merely  their  removing  all  fermented 


AND    DESIGN    OF    THE    EUCHARIST.  89 

Substances  from  their  houses,  but,  as  tlie  apostle  properly 
observ^es,  the  leaven  of  malice  and  wickedness  from  theur 
hearts,  witliout  which  they  could  neither  love  one  ano- 
ther, nor  in  any  respect  please  God.  Hence  the  Church 
of  England  very  properly  requires,  in  all  her  communi- 
cants, that  they  should  "  steadfastly  purpose  to  lead  a  new 
life,  have  a  lively  faitli  in  God's  mercy  through  Christ, 
and  be  in  charity  witli  all  men."  This  is,  indeed,  pur' 
ging  out  tJie  old  leaven,  that  the  lump  may  be  enti';<ily  new 
and  pure. 

2.  A  proper  and  convenient  place.  Locus  elcctus. 
From  the  beginning  God  has  appointed  a  place  where 
he  chose  to  register  his  name ;  a;iid  this  was  necessary, 
in  the  infancy  of  revelation,  Ciat  a  proper  uniformity 
might  be  observed  in  the  djvine  worship,  and  idolatry 
prevented.  And,  though  -we  knoAv  that  God  is  7iot  con- 
fined to  temples  made  by  hands,  yet  he  does  condescend 
to  dwell  among  mcM  in  such  places  as  are  set  apart  for 
his  worship,  a'i.i  are  consecrated  to  his  name.  Hence, 
the  place  o^  public  Avorship  must  be  the  most  proper  for 
this  anci  eveiy  other  sacred  ordinance.  Hither  men 
com.-^j  to  wait  upon  their  God ;  and,  in  the  sanctivary,  his 
jK»ower  and  glory  are  often  shewn  forth.  As  the  house 
is  the  house  of  God,  on  entermg  under  the  roof  a  sacred 
awe,  exceedingly  helpful  to  the  spirit  of  true  devotion, 
is  generally  felt.  AVhatever  we  see  and  hear  calls  to 
our  mind  different  religious  acts,  awl  as  nothing  in  the 
place  has  been  devoted  to  common  or  secidar  uses,  eveiy 
association  of  ideas  relative  to  what  we  see  and  hear 
only  serves  to  deepen  each  serious  impression,  and  ex- 
cite the  soul  to  the  due  performance  of  the  different  parts 
of  divine  worship. 

Those  who  havi?  pleaded  that  every  place  is  equuUy 
proper  for  the  worship  of  God,  because  He  fills  the 
H  2 


Vf  A  DISCOURSE   ON   THE   NATURE 

heavens  and  the  earth,  have  not  considered  the  powerful 
iullueace  of  association  on  the  mind  of  man.  Let  a  man 
only  see,  where  he  worsliips,  a  series  of  objects  which  he 
every  where  meets  with  in  common  life,  and  he  will  find 
it  dilTicuIt  to  maintain  the  spiiit  of  devotion.  I  grant 
that,  in  the  beginning  of  the  kingdom  of  Christ,  the  first 
converts  were  obliged  to  worship  in  private  houses,  and 
even  in  such  the  Holy  Eucharist  was  celebrated ;  (Acts 
ii.  46.)  and  in  everj^  age  since  that  time  many  excellent 
Christians  have  been  obliged  to  use  even  tlie  meanest 
dwellings  for  the  pui-poses  of  religious  woi-ship ;  but  Avhere 
buildings  consecrated  solely  to  the  service  of  God  can  be 
had,  these  alone  should  be  used ;  and  therefore  the  house  of 
God,  Avhether  it  be  CRurch  or  chapel,  ceremonially  conse- 
crated or  unconsecratcft  should  be  prefen-ed  to  all  others. 
And  here  I  hope  I  may,  >?ithout  offence,  say  one  word,.... 
that  it  is  not  a  ceremonial  ct)»isecration  of  a  place  to  God 
that  can  make  it  peadiarly  proper  for  his  worship ;  but  the 
setting  the  place  apart^  whether  witKor  without  a  ceremo- 
ny, for  prayer,  praise,  preaching,  and  the  administration  of 
tlie  Lord's  Supper.  By  this  means  it  beci;»nes  properly 
the  house  of  God  because  solely  set  apart  for  rel'ijjous  pur- 
poses. The  lax  teaching  that  has  said,  Every  pUice  is 
equally  proper^  has  brought  about  with  thousands  ttu^t 
laxity  of  practice  which  leads  them  to  abandon  every 
place  of  worship  and  eveiy  Ordinance  of  God.  Innova- 
tion is  endless ;  and  when  it  takes  place  in  the  worship 
of  God,  it  seldom  stops  till  it  destroys  both  the  forai  and 
power  of  religion.  The  private  house  is  ever  proper 
ioY  family  worship,  and  for  public  woi-ship  also,  Avhen  no 
place  set  apart  jor  the  purposes  of  religion  can  be  had  ; 
for,  in  ancient  times,  many  of  the  disciples  of  Christ  had 
a  cimrch  in  their  houses,  (see  Rom.  xvi.  5.  Philem.  ?.) 
and  in  these  God  manifested  his  power,  and  shewed 
torth  liis  gloiy,  as  he  had  done  in  the  saactuary  :  but  I 


AND   DESIGN    OF    THE    EUCHARIST.  01 

would  simply  state,  that  such  dwellings  should  not  be 
preferred,  when,  by  the  consent  of  any  religious  people, 
a  place  is  set  apart  for  the  purposes  of  divine  worship. 
Thus  much  may  sufTice  concerning  the  lociis  elcctus  of 
VaiTO,  as  far  as  it  can  be  applied  for  the  illustration  of 
the  present  subject. 

3.  Tempis  lecttim.     A  suitable  time. 

How  often  in  the  year,  and  at  what  time  of  the  day, 
should  tbe  Eucharist  be  celebrated,  are  questions  to  which 
considerable  importance  has  been  attached.  How  often 
the  first  Christians  received  the  Holy  Sacrament  cannot 
be  exactly  ascertained.  In  Acts  ii.  42.  it  is  said  that  they 
continued  steadfastly  in  the  Apostles'  doctrine,  and  fellow- 
ship,  and  in  breaking  o/' bread  ;  and  in  ver.  46.  they  con- 
tinned  daily  in  breaking  bread  from  house  to  house. 
We  have  already  seen  that  the  forty-second  verse  pro- 
bably relei-s  to  the  Eucharist :  of  the  latter  this  is  not  so 
obvious.  However,  some  hav«  supposed,  from  this  pas- 
sage, that  the  Holy  Sacrament  was  celebrated  every  day, 
m  one  or  other  of  the  Christians'  houses ;  and  that,  there- 
fore, the  Eucharist  was  the  daily  bread  of  the  fii'st  Chris- 
tians. And  there  is  some  reason  to  think  that  this  was 
the  case  at  a  very  early  period  of  the  Christian  church ; 
for  Eusebius  (Demonstr.  Evangel,  lib.  1.)  says,  tliey 
commemorated  the  body  and  blood  of  Christ,  oTr)fA.e^c(,t, 
daily.  And  it  is  very  likely  that  many  understood  our 
Lord's  command  in  so  general  a  sense,  that  whenever 
they  brake  bread,  they  did  it  in  a  sacramental  remem^ 
trance  of  him.  If  this  were  really  the  case,  and  it  is 
not  improbable,  it  did  not  long  continue  so,  as  it  soon  be- 
came a  set  ordinance,  and  was  not  associated  with  any 
other  meal ;  though,  at  a  very  early  period,  a  lovefea^t 
often  preceded  it.  From  Justin  Martyr,  and  others,  we 
lie^rn  lliat  it  Avas  celebrated  at  the  conclusion  af  public 


92  A    DISCOURSE    ON    THE    NATURE 

worship,  sometimes  in  the  morning,  and  sometimes  iu  the 
evening  ;  and  both  Pliny  and  Tertnllian  speak  of  its  be- 
ing celebrated  hcjore  day-light.  So  that  it  does  not  ap- 
pear that  any  particidar  part  of  the  day  Avas,  at  any 
time,  deemed  exclusively  proper. 

As  the  Lord's  Day  is  devoted  to  public  worship,  tliat 
day  above  all  others,  must  be  the  most  proper  for  the 
celebration  of  this  ordinance ;  as  the  heart  is  better  pre- 
pared to  wait  on  God  without  distraction,  worldly  busi- 
ness being  then  laid  aside,  and  consequently  the  mind 
more  free  to  enter  into  a  consideration  of  such  important 
mysteries.  And,  as  the  Lord's  Day  is  the  most  proper 
among  the  days,  so  the  morning  of  that  day  is  the  most 
favourable  time  on  Avhich  to  celebrate  this  sacred  ordi- 
nance. Towards  the  close  of  the  day,  a  man  may  be 
comparatively  indisposed  towards  a  profitable  commemo- 
ration of  the  passion  of  our  Lord,  by  the  fatigue  at- 
tendant on  the  diiFerent  religious  duties  performed  dur- 
ing its  course;  which  exhausting  the  animal  powers, 
renders  the  mind  incapable  of  such  sublime  and  patlietic 
acts  of  devotion  as  certainly  belong  to  a  due  perform- 
ance of  the  last  command  of  our  blessed  Lord.  But 
no  rule  can  be  given,  in  this  case,  which  will  not  admit 
of  exceptions ;  and  it  must  be  left  to  those  whose  busi- 
ness it  is  to  conduct  the  worship  of  God,  to  determine, 
in  several  cases,  what  is  the  most  proper  time,  as  well 
as,  which  is  the  most  proper  place. 

With  respect  to  the  frequency  of  celebrating  this  di- 
vine ordinance,  it  may  be  observed,  in  general,  that  a 
medium  bet\\een  seldom  and  frequency  should  prevail. 
Some  have  received  it  daily,  others  tveekly....^on\e  once 
in  the  month,  others  once  per  quarter,  and  some  only  once 
in  the  year.  There  is  surely  a  medium  between  the  first 
and  last  of  these  extremes.  Few  are  so  spiritually  mind- 
ed, as  to  be  able  to  discern  the  Lord's  body  in  a  daily,  or 


AND   DESIGN    OF    THE    EUCHARIST.  93 

even  weekly  use  of  the  Sacrament.  Those  wlio  receive 
it  only  once  in  the  year,  cannot  suflTiciently  feel  the 
weight  of  the  divine  command.  The  intei-vals  between 
the  times  of  celebration  are  so  long,  that  it  is  almost  inv 
possible  to  keep  up  the  commemoration  of  the  great  facts 
shadowed  forth  by  this  ordinance.  On  the  other  hand, 
those  who  take  it  daili/,  or  07ice  in  the  week,  become  too 
much  familiaiized  Avith  it,  properly  to  respect  its  nature 
End  design.  I  believe  it  will  be  found,  that  those  who 
are  thus  frequently  at  the  Lord's  Supper,  do  not  in  ge- 
iieral  excel  in  deep  and  serious  godliness.  Were  I  per- 
mitted to  advise  in  this  case,  I  would  say,  let  every  pro- 
pel- communicant  receive  the  Holy  Sacrament  once  every 
month.  Once  a  year,  or  once  in  the  quarter,  is  too  sel- 
dom ;  once  a  day,  or  once  in  the  week,  is  too  frequent  • 
once  in  the  month,  or  once  in  six  weeks,  is  the  proper 
mean. 

But  what  can  we  think  of  those  who  call  themselves 
Christians,  and  very  seldom  or  never  are  found  at  the 
XiOrd's  table  ?  They  are  either  despi»ers  or  negletters  of 
the  dying  words  and  command  of  their  Lord,  and  are  un- 
worthy of  the  benefits  resulting  from  a  due  observance  of 
this  divine  ordinance.  If  the  omission  of  a  prescribed 
duty  be  a  sin  against  God,  and  who  dares  deny  it  ?  then 
these  are  sinners  against  their  own  souls.  IMany,  compa- 
ratively sincere,  are  detained  in  the  back  ground  of 
Christian  experience  on  this  very  account;  and  many 
whole  churches  labour  under  the  divine  displeasure,  be- 
cause of  the  general  neglect  of  this  ordinance  among  their 
membei-s.  Every  soul,  who  wishes  not  to  abiure  his 
right  to  the  benefits  of  Christ's  passion  and  death,  should 
make  it  a  point  Avith  God  and  his  conscience  to  partake 
of  this  ordinance  at  least  four  or  six  times  in  the  year ; 
and  continue  thus  to  shew  forth  the  Lord's  death  till  he 
conie. 


9-1  A    DISCOURSE    ON    THE    NATURE 

We  have  already  seen  that  the  Eucharist  succeeded  to 
tiie  Passover,  and  have  proved  that  the  Passover  was  iii- 
teaded  to  typify  and  point  out  this  new  covenant  rite : 
the  same  authority  that  made  it  the  bounden  duty  of 
every  Israelite  to  keep  the  Passover,  has  made  it  tlie  du- 
ty of  every  Christian  to  receive  the  sacrament  of  the 
Lord's  Supper.  Who  has  not  read,  (Numb.  ix.  13.) 
The  man  that  is  clean^  and  is  not  on  a  journey^  and  for- 
beareth  to  keep  the  Fass&ver,  even  the  same  shall  he  cut 
off  from  the  people  ;  because  he  brought  not  the  offering 
of  the  Lord  in  his  appointed  season :  that  Tnan  shall  bear 
his  sin.  Can  any  thing  be  more  solemn  than  this  ?  The 
Paschal  Lamb  was  an  expiatory  victim ;  he  who  offered 
it  to  God  by  faith  was  received  into  the  favour  of  God, 
and  had  his  sins  remitted  in  virtue  of  that  atonement  re- 
presented by  the  Paschal  Lamb.  He  who  did  not  keep 
the  Passover,  bore  his  atvn  sin  ;  he  offered  no  sacrifice, 
therefore  his  sins  were  not  remitted.  He  who  does  not 
receive  the  Holy  Sacrament,  in  reference  to  the  atone- 
ment made  by  the  passion  and  death  of  Christ,  shall  also 
bear  his  own  sin.  Let  no  soul  trifle  here  :  if  a  man  be- 
lieve that  the  due  observance  of  this  ordinance  is  divinely 
authorized,  he  cannot  refrain  from  its  celebration  and  be 
guiltless. 

4.  Apparatus  nan  neglectus.  Proper  cheer  and  ac- 
commodations. - 

After  what  has  been  said  in  order  to  prove,  that  the  sa- 
crament of  the  Lord's  Supper  represents  a  feast  upori  a  sa- 
cr^'fjce  ;  and  that  this  sacrifice  is  no  less  than  the  body  of  our 
Lord  .Tesus  Christ,  which  has  been  broken  for  us,  and  the 
blood  of  the  new  covenant  sacrifice  which  has  been  shed  for 
us,  there  is  no  need  to  attempt  to  prove,  that  the  provision 
which  God  has  madf ,  for  the  entertainment  of  his  £:uests, 
is  of  the  most  exalted  and  excellent  kind ;  and  that  every 


AND   DESIGN    OF    THE    EUCHARIST.  95 

person  may  think  himself  highly  favoured  indeed,  who, 
with  proper  dispositions,  is  permitted   to  sit  down  at  the 
table  of  the  Lord.     In  order,  tlierefore,  that  each  jnay 
feel  himself  thus  honoured  and  privileged,  it  is  of  vast 
importance  that  tjie  symbols  of  this  sacrifice  speak,  as 
much  as  possible,  to  the  heart,  through  the  medium  of  the 
senses.     Hence,  the  bread  used  should  be  the  purest  and 
best  that  can  possibly  be  procured,  and  the  wine  should 
be  of  the  same  quality ;  that,  as  far  as  possible,  the  eye, 
the   taste,  and   the   smell   may  be  pleasingly  gratified. 
What  a  most  unfavourable  impression  must  stale  or  bitter 
bread,  acrid  or  vapid  wine,  make  upon  the  mind !     Are 
these  fit  symbols  of  this  most  precious  sacrifice  ?    Would 
we  have  at  oui*  own  tables,  even  on  ordinaiy  times,  such 
abominable  aliments  as  those  sometimes  laid  on  the  Lord's 
table  ?  Church-wardens,  and  superintendants  of  this  ordi- 
nance in  general,  should  take  good  heed,  that  not  only 
every  thing  be  done  decently  and  in  order,  but  that  the 
elements  be  of  the  most  excellent  kind.     If  a  man's  sen- 
ses be  either  insulted  or  tortured  by  what  is  recommend- 
ed to  him  as  a  mean  of  salvation,  is  it  likely  that  his  mind 
w  ill  so  co-operate  with  the  ordinance,  as  to  derive  spiri- 
tual good  from  it  ?    Certainly  not.     In  such   a  case,  he 
may  attend  the  ordinance  as  a  duti/,  and  take  up  the  per- 
formance as  a  cross  :  but  it  will  be  impossible  for  him  to 
derive  real  benefit  from  it.     Besides,  a  sensible,  consci- 
entious man  must  be  disgusted  with  the  slovenly  and  cri- 
minally negligent  manner  in  w  hich  this  sacred  ordinance 
is  celebrated.     The  Passover,  it  is  true,  was  to  be  eaten 
by  the  Jews  with  hitter  herbs,  in  remembrance  of  their 
former  bondage ;  but  the  sacrament  of  the  Lord's  Supper 
is  a  commemoration  of  the  most  glorious  and  auspicious 
event  that  ever  took  place  since  God  laid  the  foundation 
of  the  univei-se.     It  is,  in  a  word,  a  synopsis,  or  general 
\  iew,  of  all  that  is  called  the  glad  tidings  of  salvation, 


9B  JL  DISeoCTKSE    ON    THE    NATURE 

tlirougli  the  incarnation,  passion,  death,  resurrection,  as- 
cension, and  intercession  of  Jesus  Christ,  the  world's:  Sa^ 
viour  and  the  sinner's  Friend.  In  the  piimitive  church, 
it  was  altvays  esteemed  a  feast,  and  never  accompanied 
with  any  act  of  mortification.  Those  who  think  this  cir- 
cumstance is  unworthy  of  serious  regard,  shew  thereby 
how  little  they  know  of  human  nature ;  and  liow  apt  some 
are  to  affect  to  be  wise  above  what  is  written,  and  to  fan- 
cy themselves  above  tliat  which  is,  in  reality,  above  them. 
Let,  therefore,  not  only  the  elements,  but  the  whole  appa- 
raiusy  and  even  the  7node  of  administering,  be  such  as 
shall  meet  and  please  all  the  senses,  and,  through  their 
medium,  affect  and  edify  the  soul.  With  such  helps,  un- 
der the  influence  of  the  blessed  Spirit,  devotion  must  be 
raised,  the  flame  of  pure  gratitude  kindled,  the  hungry 
soul  fed,  and  believers  built  up  on  their  most  holy  faith, 
"Let  all  things,"  says  tlie  apostle,  "be  done  decently 
and  in  order :"  this  command  should  be  felt,  in  its  mosi 
extensive  sense,  in  eveiy  thing  relative  to  this  ordinance. 
To  cut  off  all  occasion  of  oflence,  and  to  make  every 
part  of  the  ordinance  edifying  and  salutary,  every  mi- 
nister should  take  care  that  his  Avhole  deportment  be 
grave,  and  his  Avords  solemn  and  impressive;  not  only 
the  sacred  elements  should  be  of  the  purest  and  best 
quality,  but  also  the  holy  vessels,  of  whatever  metal, 
perfectly  clean,  and  decently  arranged  on  the  table* 
Tlie  communicants,  in  receiving  the  bread  and  wine, 
should  not  be  hurried,  so  as  to  endanger  then*  dropping 
tlie  one,  or  spilling  the  other,  as  accidents  of  this  kind 
have  been  of  dreadful  consequence  to  some  weak  minds^ 
The  pieces  of  bread  should  be  of  a  convenient  size,  not 
too  small,  (M'hich  is  frequently  the  case)  as  it  is  then  im- 
possible to  take  them  readily  out  of  tlie  hands  of  the  mi- 
nister. No  communicant  sliould  receive  with  a  glave 
on :  this  is  indecent,  not  to  say  incverent.     Perhaps  the 


AND   DESIGN   OF    THE    EUCHARIST.  O"? 

best  way  of  receiving  the  bread  is  to  open  the  hand,  and 
let  the  minister  lay  it  upon  the  palm,  whence  it  may  be 
taken  by  the  communicant  with  readiness  and  ease. 

As  to  the  posture  in  which  it  is  received,  little  need  be 
said,   as  the  subject  is  of  no  great  importance.     Our 
Lord   and  his  disciples  certainly  took  it  in  a  reclining 
posture,  as  this  was  the  Jewish  custom  at  meals ;  and 
where  there  are  only  ten  or  twelve  communicants,  the 
reclining  mode,  though  contrary  to  the  custom  of  all  west- 
ern countries,  may  be  literally  and  innocently   copied ; 
but  where  there  are  from  500  to  1000  communicants,  this 
would  be  impracticable.     There  is  no  evidence,  in  the 
sacred   text,  that  they  stood  with  their  staves  in  their 
hands,  and  their  loins  guded,  as  the  ancient  Israelites  did 
at  their  first  celebration  of  the   Passover.     The  reverse 
seems  indicated  in  the  accounts  given  by  the  Evangelists, 
as  they  particularly  assert  that  he  sat  dow7i,  or  reclined^ 
uvccKBiTo,  with  his  disciples.   Some  choose  to  sit,  as  at  their 
ordinary  meals ;  w  hen  this  is  a  custom  among  a  w- hole  re- 
ligious sect,  no  man  is  authorized  to  blame  it.     Provided 
it  can  be  done  in  a  proper  spirit  of  devotion,  it  may  be 
as  profitably  received  in  that  as  in  any  other  way.     In 
the  primitive  church,  it  was  generally  received  standing, 
and  always  so  on  the  Lord'^s  Day,  and  on  the  interim  be- 
tAveen  Easter  and  V^Hiitsuntide ;  as,  on  those  times,  it  was 
deemed  unlawful  to  kneel  in  any  part  of  divine  worship. 
In  the  church  of  Rome,  and  in  the  church  of  England, 
all  the  communicants  receive  kneeling  :  the  former  kneel, 
because  they  w  orship  the  consecrated  wafer  ;  the  latter, 
who  reject  this  sentiment  with  abhorrence,  nevertheless 
kneel,  the  better  to  express  suhinission  to  the  divine  au- 
thority, and  a  deep  sense  of  their  own  unworthiness.  The 
posture  itself  of  kneeling,  it  must  be  confessed,  is  well  cal- 
culated to  excite  and  impress  such  sentiments ;  and  per- 
haps, upon  the  whole,  is  preferable  to  all  others.    It  is, 


98  A   DISCOURSE   ON   THE    NATURE 

however,  a  matter  of  comparatively  small  moment,  and 
should  never  be  the  cause  of  dissension  among  religious 
people ;  only,  in  every  church  and  congregation,  for  the 
sake  of  order  and  uniformity,  all  should  sit,  or  all  should 
kneel.  Let  the  former  consider,  they  sit  not  at  a  com- 
mon meal ;  and  let  the  latter  reflect,  that  they  are  hcnved 
before  that  God  who  searches  the  heart.  The  words 
used  in  consecration  should,  undoubtedly,  be  taken  from 
the  sacred  Scriptures ;  and  the  form  used  in  the  church  of 
England  is,  beyond  all  controversy,  the  best  of  its  kind. 

From  the  gieat  respect  that  was  paid  to  this  ordinance, 
in  ancient  times,  it  is  sufllciently  evident  that  imcommon 
influences  of  the  Spirit  of  God  accompanied  the  celebra- 
tion of  it.*  In  those  times,  the  communicants  Tliscerned 
the  Lord's  body  ;  they  perceived  that  it  represented  the 
sacnjice  which  was  ofTered  for  them,  and  pointed  out  the 
Lamb,  newly  slain,  before  the  throne :  they  partook  of 
it,  therefore,  with  strong  faith  in  .the  atoning  eflicacy  of 
the  death  of  Christ,  which  they  had  thus  represented,  at 
once,  both  to  the  eyes  of  their  body  and  those  of  their 
mind ;  and  the  natural  consequence  was,  that  the  glory  of 
God  fdled  the  place  where  they  sat,  and  the  souls  that 
woi-shipped  in  it.  Those  v>ere  the  days  oj  the  Son  of 
man,  and  might  be  pgaiu  amply  realized,  were  the  Holy 
Eucharist  rightly  administered  and  scripturally  received. 

In  the  apparatus  of  this  feast,  a  contribntian  for  the 
support  of  the  poor  should  never  be  neglected.  This  was 
a  custom  religiously  observed  from  the  very  remotest  an- 

*  Hence  those  epithets  applied  to  it  by  St.  Ignatius,  in  his 
epistle  to  the  Ephesians,  (see  the  motto  to  this  Discourse,) 
**  Bretliren,  stand  fast  in  tlie  faith  of  Jesus  Christ — in  liis  pas- 
sion and  resurrection  ;  breaking  that  one  bread  which  is 
the  wec/ici/ze  o/" immortality,  the  awfn/o/e  against  death,  and  the 
Tneans  of  living  in  God  by  Christ  Jesus ;  the  medicament  that 
expels  all  evil." 


AND    DESIGN    OF    THE    EICHARIST.  99 

tiquity  of  the  Christian  era.  This  is  the  only  Avay  we 
have  of  giving  a  substantial  form  to  our  giatilude,  and 
rendering  it  palpable.  The  poor,  and  especially  the  pi- 
ous poor,  are  the  proper  representatives  of  him,  who, 
though  he  was  rich,  yet  for  our  sakes  became  poor,  that 
Ave,  through  his  poverty,  might  be  rich.  He,  then,  who 
h:\th  pity  on  tlie  poor  Icndeth  to  the  Lord.. ..Let  no  man 
appear  at  this  ordinance  empty  handed,  and  let  every  man 
giv  e  as  God  has  prospered  him. 

It  might  be  deemed  necessary  by  some,  that,  at  the 
close  of  such  a  Discourse,  proper  directions  should  be 
given  how  to  receive  profitably,  and  how  to  behave  before 
and  after  communicating.  But  this  is  so  generally  well 
provided  for,  in  the  sermons  commonly  preached  on  such 
occasions,  and  by  books  of  devotion,  that  it  may  well  be 
dispensed  with  here.  Besides,  much  may  be  collected 
from  the  preceding  pages  themselves,  the  grand  object  of 
which  is  to  teach  men  how  to  discern  the  Lord's  body  in 
this  holy  institution;  and  they  that  do  so  cannot  use  ituu- 
profitably. 

IV.  It  may  be  just  necessary  to  state  a  few  reasons  for 
frequenting  the  table  of  the  Loi-d,  and  profiting  by  this  ordi- 
nance which  either  have  not  been  previously  mentioned,  or 
not  in  r.  manner  sulTiciently  pointed  to  ensure  their  eiTcct- 

1.  Jesus  Christ  has  commanded  his  disciples  to  Do  this 
in  remembrance  of  him :  and,  were  there  no  other  rea- 
son, this  certainly  must  be  deemed  sufficient  by  all 
those  who  respect  his  authority  as  their  Teaclier  and 
Judge.  He  who  breaks  one  of  the  least  of  his  com- 
mandments^ (and  certainly  this  is  not  one  of  the  least  of 
them)  and  teaches  others,  either  by  precept  or  example, 
60  to  do,  shall  be  called  least  in  the  kinsrdom  of  heaven. 
What  an  awful  reproof  must  this  be  to  those  who  either 


3^  A   DISCOURSE   ON    THE   NATURE 

systematically  reject  or  habitually  neglect  tliis  holy  ordi- 
nance. 

2.  As  the  oft-repeated  sacrifices  in  the  Jewish  church, 
and  particularly  the  Passover,  were  intended  to  point  out 
the  Son  of  God  till  he  came ;  so,  it  appears,  our  blessed 
Lord  designed  that  the  Eucharist  should  be  a  principal 
mean  of  keeping  in  remembrance  his  passion  and  death ; 
and  thus  shew  lorth  him  who  has  died  for  our  offences,  as 
the  others  did,  him  who,  in  the  fulness  of  time,  should  die. 

I  believe  it  will  be  generally  found,  that  those  who  ha- 
bitually neglect  this  ordinance,  seldom  attach  much  con- 
sequence to  the  doctrine  of  the  atonement,  and  those  kin- 
dred doctrines  essentially  connected  Avith  it. 

Though  I  am  far  from  supposing  that  the  Holy  Eucha- 
rist is  itself  a  sacrifice,  which  is  a  most  gross  error  in  the 
Romish  Church,  yet  I  am  as  fully  convinced  that  it  can 
never  be  scripturally  and  effectually  celebrated  by  any 
but  those  who  consider  it  as  representing  a  sacrifice,  even 
that  of  the  life  of  our  blessed  Lord,  the  only  available  sa- 
crifice for  sin;  and  that  the  Eucharist  is  the  only  ordi- 
nance, instituted  by  divine  appointment  among  men,  in 
whxh  any  thing  of  the  ancient  sacrificial  forms  yet  re- 
main ;  and  that  this,  in  its  form,  and  in  the  manner  of  its 
administration,  partakes  so  much  of  the  ancient  ex'jiatory 
offerings,  literally  considered,  and  so  much  of  the  spirit 
and  design  of  those  offerings,  as  ever  to  render  it  the  most 
lively  exhibition  both  of  \hesign  and  the  thing  signified ; 
and  consequently,  a  rite  the  most  wisely  calculated  to 
shew  forth  the  death  of  the  Son  of  God,  till  he  shall  come 
to  judge  the  quick  and  the  dead. 

3.  But  there  is  another  reason  why  this  duty  should  be 
considered  as  imperiously  binding  on  every  Christian 
soul.     It  is  a  standing  m\d  inexpugnable  proof  oiihe  au- 


AND   DESIGN    OF    THE   EUCHARIST.  101 

theaticity  of  the  Christian  religion.  An  able  writer  ol" 
oiu-  own  couutiy  has  observed,  that  a  matter  of  fact,  how- 
ever remote,  is  rendered  incontestable  by  tlie  following 
criteria  :....!.  "  That  the  matter  of  fact  be  such  as  men's 
senses,  theu*  eyes  and  cars  may  be  judges  of.. ..2.  That  it 
be  done  publicly. ...3.  That  both  public  monuments  be 
kept  up  in  memory  of  it,  and  some  outward  actions  be  per- 
lormed....4.  That  such  monuments  and  such  actions  or  ob- 
servcuiceshe  instituted  and  do  commence  from  the  time  that 
the  matter  of  fact  Avas  done."  JSTow  all  these  criteria,  he 
demonstrates,  concur  in  relation  to  the  matters  of  fact  re- 
corded of  Moses  and  of  Christ.  The  miracles  of  our 
Lord  were  done  publicly,  and  in  the  face  of  the  world. 
Three  thousand  souls  at  one  time,  and  live  thousand  at 
another  were  converted  to  Christianity  on  the  evidence 
of  these  facts.  Baptism,  and  the  Lord's  Supper,  Mere  in- 
stituted as  pei*petual  memorials  of  these  thincjs,  at  the  very 
time  in  which  they  were  said  to  have  been  done ;  and 
these  have  been  observed  in  the  whole  Christian  world 
from  that  time  until  now.  Therefore,  the  administration 
of  these  sacraments  is  an  incontestable  proof  of  the  authen- 
ticity of  the  Christian  religion.  See  Leslie's  Easy 
Method  with  the  Deists^ 

It  is  not,  therefore,  merely  for  the  purpose  of  calling 
to  remembrance  the  death  of  our  blessed  Lord,  for  the 
increase  and  confirmation  of  our  faith ;  it  is  not  merely 
that  the  church  of  Christ  should  have  an  acMitioual 
mean,  whereby  God  might  communicate  the  clioicest  in- 
fluences of  his  giace  and  Spirit  to  the  souls  of  the  faith- 
ful, that  Christians  should  conscientiously  observe,  and 
devoutly  frequent  the  sacrament  of  the  Lord's  Supper; 
but  they  should  continue  conscientiously  to  observe  it, 
as  a  public,  far-speaking,  and  irrefragable  proof  of  the 
divine  authenticity  of  our  holy  religion^  Those,  there- 
fore, who  neglect  this  ordinance,  not  only  sin  against  the 
r  2 


102  A   DISCOURSE   ON    THE    NATURE 

commandment  of  Christ,  neglect  that  mean  by* 'which 
their  souls  niight  receive  much  comfoit  and  edification, 
but  as  iar  as  in  them  lies,  weaken  those  evidences  of  the 
religion  they  profess  to  believe,  which  have  been  one 
gi-eat  cause,  under  God,  of  its  triumphing  over  all  the 
persecution  and  contradiction  of  the  successive  ages  of 
infidelity,  from  its  establishment  to  the  present  hour. 
Had  all  the  foUowei-s  of  Christ  treated  this  divine  ordi- 
nance as  a  few  have  done,  pretending  that  it  is  to  be  spi- 
ritually understood,  (from  a  complete  misapplication  of 
John  vi.  63.)  and  that  no  rite  ovform  should  be  observed 
in  commemoration  of  it,  where  had  been  one  of  the  most 
convincing  evidences  of  Christianity  this  day  t  What  a 
master-piece  was  it  in  the  oeconomy  of  Divine  Provi- 
dence, that  a  teaching  like  this  was  not  permitted  to 
spring  up  in  the  infancy  of  Christianity,  nor  till  sixteen 
hundred  years  after  its  establishment,  by  which  time,  its 
grand  facts  had  been  rendered  incontrovertible !  Such  is 
the  wisdom  of  God,  and  such  his  watchful  care  over  his 
church. 

Sincerely  I  thank  God  that  this  sentiment  has  had  but 
a  very  limited  spread,  and  never  can  be  general  while 
the  letter  and  spirit  of  Christianity  remain  in  the  world. 

The  discourse  which  our  Lord  held  with  the  Jews, 
John  vi.  30....63.  concerning  the  manna  which  their  fa- 
thers ate  in  the  wilderness,  and  which  he  intimates  re- 
presented himself,  has  been  mistaken  by  several  for  a  dis- 
coui-se  on  the  holy  sacrament.  The  chronology  of  the 
Gospels  sufficiently  proves,  that  our  Lord  spake  these 
words  in  one  of  the  synagogues  of  Capernaum,  at  least 
twelve  months  before  the  institution  of  the  Eucharist. 
Nor  has  it  any  reference  whatever  to  that  ordinance. 
No  man  has  ever  yet  proved  the  contrary. 

To  multiply  argume/  ts  *n  rrfrrence  to  the  same  sub- 
ject, would,  I  apprehend,  be  absolutely  needless.    All 


AND    DEoiGN    OF    THE    EUCHARIST.  103 

who  truly  fear  God,  and  whose  minds  are  not  incurably 
warped  by  their  peculiar  creed,  will  feel  it  their  highest 
duty  and  interest  to  fulfil  eveiy  command  of  Christ,  and 
will  particularly  rejoice  in  the  opportunity,  as  often  as 
it  shall  occur,  of  eating  of  this  bread  and  drinking  of  this 
cup,  in  remembrance  that  Christ  Jesus  died  for  then). 

It  has  often  been  inquired,  "  Who  are  they  who  should 
administer  tliis  sacred  ordinance  ?  May  not  any  truly 
Christian  man  or  woman  deliver  it  to  others  ?"  I  an- 
swer, the  ministers  of  the  Gospel,  alone,  should  dispense 
the  symbols  of  the  body  and  blood  of  Christ ;  and  to  act 
differently  would  necessarily  produce  confusion  in,  and, 
ultimately,  contempt  of  this  blessed  institution.  The  mi- 
nister alone  consecrated  the  elements  in  all  the  periods 
of  the  Christian  church,  though  sometimes  the  deacons 
delivered  them  to  the  people :  but  even  this  was  far 
from  being  a  common  case,  for,  in  general,  the  minister 
not  only  consecrated  but  delivered  the  elements  to  each 
communicant. 

Another  question  of  greater  importance,  is  the  follow- 
ing :...."  Is  the  ungodliness  of  the  minister  any  prejudice 
to  the  ordinance  itself,  or  to  the  devout  communicant  ?'* 
I  answer....!.  None  who  is  ungodly  should  ever  be  per- 
mitted to  minister  in  holy  things,  on  any  pretence  what- 
ever; and  in  this  ordinance,  in  particular,  no  unhal- 
lowed hand  should  be  seen....2.  As  the  benefit  to  be 
derived  from  the  Eucharist  depends  entirely  on  the 
presence  and  blessing  of  God,  it  cannot  be  reasonably 
expected  that  he  will  work  through  the  instrumentality 
of  the  profligate  or  the  profane.  Many  have  idled 
away  their  time  in  endeavouring  to  prove,  that  the  un- 
godliness of  the  minister  is  no  prejudice  to  the  worthy 
communicant :  but  God  has  disproved  this  by  ten  thou- 
sand instances,  in  which  he  has,  in  a  general  way,  with- 


104  A    DISCOURSE    ON    THE    NATURE 

held  his  divine  influence,  because  of  the  wickedness  oi 
•\vorthlessness  of  him  Avho  ministered,  -whether  bii^hop,. 
priest,  minister,  or  preacher.  God  has  always  required, 
and  ever  will  require,  that  those  who  minister  in  holy 
things  shall  have  upright  hearts  and  clean  hands.  Those 
who  are  of  a  different  character  bring  the  ordinance  of 
God"  into  contempt. 

"  But  supposing  a  man  has  not  the  opportunity  of  re- 
ceiving the  Eucharist  from  the  hands  of  a  holy  man, 
should  he  not  receive  it  at  all  ?"  I  answer,  I  ho{)e  it  Avill 
seldom  be  found  difficult  to  meet  Avith  this  ordinance  in 
the  most  unexceptionable  way ;  but,  should  such  a  case 
occur,  that  it  must  be  either  received  from  an  improper 
person,  or  not  received  at  all ;  I  would  then  advise,  Re- 
ceive it  by  all  means ;  as  you  will  thereby  bear  a  testi- 
mony to  the  truth  of  the  new  covenant,  and  do  what  in 
^you  lies  *o  fulfd  the  command  of  Christ :  if,  therefore,  it 
be  impossible  for  you  to  get  the  ordinance  in  its  purity, 
and  properly  administered,  then  take  it  as  you  can,  and 
God,  who  knows  the  circumstances  of  the  case,  will  not 
withhold  from  you  a  measure  of  the  divine  influence. 
But  this  can  be  no  excuse  for  those  who,  through  a  blind 
or  bigoted  attachment  to  a  particular  place  or  form, 
choose  leather  to  communicate  w  ith  the  profane,  than  re- 
ceive the  Eucharist,  according  to  the  pure  institution  of 
Jesus  ChVist,  from  the  most  unblemished  hands ;  and  in 
company  with  saints  of  the  first  character!  Of  all  super- 
stitions, this  is  the  most  egregious  and  culpable.  Pro- 
fanity and  sin  will  certainly  prevent  the  divine  Spirit 
from  realizing  the  sign  in  the  souls  of  the  worthless  mini- 
sters and  sinful  communicants :  but  the  want  of  episcopal 
ordination  in  the  person,  or  consecration  in  the  place^ 
can  never  prevent  Ilim,  who  is  not  confined  to  temples 
made  by  hands,  and  who  sends  by  whom  he  will  send. 


AND    DESIGN    OF    THE   EUCHARIST.  105 

from  pouring  out  his  Spirit  upon  those  who  call  taith- 
fully  upon  his  name,  and  who  go  to  meet  him  in  his  ap- 
pointed ways. 

But  even  serious  Christians  may  deprive  themselves  of 
tlie  due  benefit  of  the  Eucharist  by  giving  way  to  hurry 
and  precipitation^  Scarcely  any  thing  is  more  unbecom- 
ing tlian  to  see  the  majority  of  communicants  as  soon  as 
they  have  received,  posting  out  of  the  church  or  chapel, 
so  that  at  the  conclusion  of  the  ordinance,  veiy  few  are 
found  to  join  together  in  a  general  thanksgiving  to  God 
for  the  benefits  conferred  by  the  passion  and  death  of 
Christ,  by  means  of  this  blessed  ordinance.  All  the  com- 
municants, unless  absolute  necessity  obliges  them  to  de- 
part, should  remain  till  the  whole  service  is  concluded, 
that  the  thanksgiving  of  many  may,  in  one  general  accla- 
mation, redound  to  the  glory  of  God  and  the  Lamb. 

In  many  congregations,  where  the  communicants  are 
very  numerous,  this  general  defection  is  produced  by  the 
tedious  and  insufferable  delay  occasioned  through  want  of 
proper  assistants.  I  have  often  seen  six  hundred,  and 
sometimes  one  thousand  communicants  and  upwards, 
waiting  to  be  served  by  one  minister !  Masters  and  heads 
of  families  are  obliged  to  return  to  their  charge,  mothers 
are  constrained  to  hurry  home  to  their  children,  and  ser- 
vants, to  minister  to  their  respective  families.  And  who, 
in  this  case,  could  blame  them  ?  Religion  was  never  in- 
tended to  break  in  on  family  obligations,  nor  to  supersede 
domestic  duties. 

In  all  large  congregations,  there  shoidd  be  at  least  three 
ministers,  that  huriy  may  be  prevented,  and  the  ordinance 
concluded  in  such  a  reasonable  portion  of  time,  that  no 
person  may  be  obliged  to  leave  the  house  of  God  before 
the  congregation  is  regularly  dismissed.  Those  who 
have  no  siich  calh^  and  indulge  themselves  in  the  habit  of 
posting  off  as  soon  as  they  have  received  the  sacred  ele- 


106  A   DISCOURSE   ON    THE    NATURE 

ments,  must  answer  to  God  ior  an  act  that  not  only  betrays 
their  great  lack  of  serious  godliness,  but  borders,  I  had 
almost  said,  on  proiatiity  and  irreligion.  Judas,  of  all 
the  disciples,  tvent  out  before  the  Holy  Supper  av  as  conclu- 
ded !  Reader,  wilt  thou  go  and  do  likeAvise  ?  God  forbid  ! 

CONCLUSION. 

I  HAVE  already  remarked,  (p.  71.)  that  the  Eucharist 
may  be  considered  as  a  fozdcral  rite  ;  for  in  this  light  the 
ancient  feasts  upon  sacrifices  were  generally  understood : 
but,  as  this  subject  was  but  barely  mentioned,  and  is  of 
great  importance  to  every  communicant,  I  shall  here  con- 
sider it  more  extensively. 

Dr.  Cud  worth,  to  whose  excellent  Discourse  on  the 
true  Nature  of  the  Lord'^s  Supper,  the  preceding  pages 
are  not  a  little  indebted,  has,  in  his  sixth  chapter,  some 
excellent  observations  on  this  head.  That  the  eating  of 
God's  sacrifice  was  a  fazderal  rite  between  God  and  those 
who  offered  it,  he  considers  as  proved  from  the  custom  of 
the  ancients,  and  especially  of  the  Orientals,  avIio  ate  and 
drank  together  iii  order  to  ratify  and  confirm  the  cove- 
nants they  had  made. 

Thus,  when  Isaac  made  a  covenant  Avith  Abimelech,  it 
is  said,  (Gen.  xxvi.)  He  made  him,  and  those  who  were 
with  him,  a  feast  ;  and  they  did  cat  and  drink,  and  rose 
up  betimes  in  the  morning,  and  swaue  to  one  anotlicr. 
When  Laban  made  a  covenant  with  Jacob,  (Gen.  xxxi. 
44.)  it  is  said,  They  took  stones  and  made  a  heap,  and 
did  EAT  there  upon  the  heap  ;  on  which  text  Rah.  Moses 
Bar  Nacham  makes  this  sensible  comment...."  They  did 
eat  there  a  little  upon  the  heap  for  a  memorial ;  because  it 
was  the  manner  of  those  who  enter  into  covenant,  to  eat 
both  together  of  the  same  bread,  as  a  symbol  of  love  and 
friendship."  And  R.  Isaac  Abarbanel  confirms  this :  "  It 
was,"  says  he,  "  an  ancient  custom  among  them,  that  they 


AND   DESIGN    OF    THE   EUCHARIST.  107 

wlio  did  eat  bread  together,  should  ever  after  be  account- 
ed for  faithful  brethren"....Iii  JosJi.  ix.  14.  Ave  are  inform- 
ed, that  when  the  Gibeonites  came  to  the  men  of  Israel, 
and  desired  them  to  make  a  league  with  them,  Tlie  men 
of  Israel  took  their  victuals,  and  asked  not  counsel  of  tJie 
mouth  of  the  Lord;  which  Rabbi  Kimchi  thus  ex- 
{>ounds :...."  They  took  of  their  victuals,  and  ate  with 
them,  by  way  of  covenant."  The  consequence  Avas,  as 
the  context  informs  us,  Joshua  made  peace  with  them. 

Foederal  rites,  thus  ratified  and  confirmed,  were  in  ge- 
neral so  sacredly  observed,  that  Celsus,  in  his  controversy 
with  Origen,  deems  it  an  absolutely  improbable  thing,  that 
Judas,  w  ho  had  eaten  and  drank  with  liis  Lord  and  Mas- 
ter, could  possibly  betray  him ;  and  therefore  rejects  the 

whole  account :  ort  says  he,  avB^uTa  f^sv  «  x,o(va)V):(rcC(i  rpx~ 
Tre^T}^  ovK  etv  xvtm  eTri^ovXevcretev,  ttoXXm  wAeov  o  Qsa  ervvev- 

e>>x'*i^^'^  **"*  '^^  eivTM  e-TTiQovMti  eyivero.  "For  if  no  man 
who  has  partook  of  the  table  of  another,  Avould  ever  lay 
snares  for  his  friend ;  much  less  Avould  he  betray  his  God, 
who  had  been  partaker  with  him."  Origen,  in  his  reply,  is 
obliged  to  grant  that  this  was  a  very  uncommon  case,  yet 
that  several  instances  had  occured  in  the  histories  both  of 
the  Greeks  and  Barbarians.  From  these  examples  Dr. 
C.  concludes,  that  the  true  origin  of  the  Avord  n''"*^  berith 
Avhich  signifies  a  covenant,  or  any  foederal  communion^ 
is  the  root  ni3  barah,  he  ate,  because  it  Avas  the  constant 
custom  of  the  HebreAVs,  and  other  Oriental  nations,  to  es- 
tablish  coATnants  by  eating  and  drinking  together. 

Nor  was  this  the  case  among  these  nations  only;  all 
heathen  antiquity  abounds  with  instances  of  the  same 
kind.  They  not  only  feasted  on  their  sacrifices,  (see 
p.  79,  &:c.)  but  they  concluded  covenants  and  treaties 
of  all  sorts  at  these  feasts :  and  as  salt  Avas  the  symbol  of 
friendship,  it  AAas  always  used  on  such  occasions,  both 
among  tlie  Jews  and  among  the  heathens ;   hence  God's 


108  A    DISCOURSE   ON    THE    NATURE 

command,  (Lev.  ii.  13.)  Thau  shall  not  suffer  the  salt 
OF  THE  COVENANT  of  thy  God  to  bc  lacking ;  with  all 
thine  offerings  thou  shali  offer  salt.  So  among  the  Greeks, 
AAf5  Kcci  T^etTTe^u,  salt  and  table,  were  used  proverbially 
to  express  J  rieyidship  ;  and  AAot?  kui  T^x'n-e<^ccv  ^etpuQccivnvy 
to  transgress  the  salt  and  table,  signified  to  violate  the 
most  sacred  league  of  friendship.  From  these  premises. 
Dr.  Cudworth  concludes,  "  As  the  legal  sacrifices,  with 
the  feasts  on  those  sacrifices,  were  fcederal  rites  be- 
tween God  and  men ;  in  like  manner,  I  say,  the  Lord's 
Supper,  under  the  Gospel,  must  needs  be  a  fcederal 
BANQUET  between  God  and  man;  where,  by  eating  and 
drinking  at  God's  own  table,  and  of  his  meat,  we  are 
taken  into  a  sacred  covenant,  and  inviolable  league  of 
friendship  with  him." 

This  is  certainly  true  of  every  faithful  communicant ; 
and  much  consolation  may  be  derived  from  a  proper  con- 
sideration of  the  subject.  If  the  covenant  have  been 
made  according  to  the  divine  appointment,  (i.  e.  by  lively 
faith  m  Christ,  the  real  fozderal  sacrifice)  on  God's  part 
it  is  ever  inviolate.  Let  him,  therefore,  who  has  thus  en- 
tered into  the  Lord's  covenant,  continue  steadfast  and  im- 
moveable, always  abounding  in  the  work  of  the  Lord ; 
then,  "  neither  death,  nor  life,  nor  angels,  nor  principali- 
ties, nor  powers,  nor  things  present,  nor  things  to  come, 
nor  height,  nor  depth,  nor  any  other  creature,  shall  be 
able  to  separate  him  from  the  love  of  God,  which  is  in 
Christ  Jesus  our  Lord."    Amen. 

London,  Jan.  1,  1808. 


THE 

Christian  Prophet  and  his  Work, 

A 

DISCOURSE 

ON 

I.  CORINTHIANS   XIV.   3. 

BY  ADAM  CLARKE,  LL.  D. 

PRINCIPAL    LIBRARIAN    TO    THE    SURRY    INSTITUTION, 

AND 

AUTHOR  OF  THE  COJvIMENTARY  ON  THE  HOLY  BIBLE. 


■—"^^^^C^^ 


So  they  read  in  the  book,  in  the  law  of  God  distinctly,  and  gave  tJie  sense, 
and  caused  them  to  understand  the  reading.. ..A^^fA.  vi'ti.  8. 


•^|^^v — 


NEW-YORK: 

TLTSLISHED  by  E.  BARGEANT,  and  GRIFFIN  AND  RUDD; 
AND  J.  F.  WATSON,  PHILADELPHIA. 

Taul  and  Thomas,  Printers. 

1812, 


TO 
ALL  THE  MINISTERS 

or   THE 

EVERLASTING  GOSPEL, 

WHO 

CONSCIENTIOUBLl'  tNDEAVOUR  TO  SPEAK  TO  MEN, 

TO 

Edification,   and  to   Exhortatimi,   and  to  Comfort ; 

Especially 

TO  THOSE  AMOjYG  THE  PEOPLE 

called 

METHODISTS, 

THIS 

SERMON 

IS   RESPECTFULLY,     AND     AFFECTIONATELY 

DEDICATED, 
BY    TUEIll    FELLOW-LABOURER 

IN 

THE  VINEYARD  OF  THE  LORD, 

ADAM  CLARKE. 


A   DISCOURSE,  ^c. 

>-♦< 

1  CORINTfllANS  xiv.  3. 

He  who  prophcsieth^  speaketh  unto  men  to  edification^  and 
to  exhortation^  and  to  comfort. 

Take  heed  how  ye  hear^  was  an  advice  of  the  Son  of 
God;  and  forcibly  states,  that  serious  attention  to  sa- 
cred Truths,  is  essentially  requisite  to  those  who  wish  to 
profit  by  them;  and  witliout  this,  even  Christ  himself 
may  preach  iii  vain.  It  Avas  the  saying  of  a  wise  and 
holy  man,  that  "  the  word  of  God  was  never  heard  pro- 
fitably, but  in  that  Spirit  by  which  it  was  originally  dic- 
tated." Long  experience  has  proved,  that  though  the 
mighty  Paul  may  plant,  and  the  eloquent  Apoilos  water, 
yet  it  is  God  alone  who  gives  the  increase.  Every  mi- 
nister of  God  should  be  deeply  sensible  of  this,  that  he 
may  earnestly  implore  that  Help  without  which  no  good 
can  be  done ;  that  Wisdom  without  which  the  word  of  God 
cannot  be  rightly  divided;  and  that  Influence  on  the 
minds  of  his  hearers,  without  which  there  can  be  no 
fruit  of  his  labours. 

A  Philosopher  among  the  ancient  heathens  obsei*ved, 
that  "  Man  is  an  animal  fond  of  novelty  :"....the  observa- 
tion readily  acquired  the  force  of  an  incontrovertible 
maxim,  because  the  facts  which  gave  it  birth  were  every 
where  evident.  Things  7ietv  or  uncommon  being  alvays 
found  to  impress  the  senses  more  forcibly  than  those 
which  daily  occur.  Man  is  fond  of  poAver,  and  is  ever 
K  2 


114  THE    CHRISTIAN    PROPHET 

aflfecting  to  perform  actions  beyond  the  limits  of  his  own 
str^gth ;  but  as  repeated  exertions  painfully  demonstrate 
to  him  the  littleness  of  his  own  might,  he  strives  to  have 
recourse  to  foreign  help,  and  especially  gi-asps  at  miper- 
natural  poAvers.  Hence  originated  the  desire  of  ac- 
quainting himself  with  the  invisible  world,  that  he  might 
associate  to  himself  the  energies  of  supernatural  agents, 
and  by  their  assistance  satisfy  his  criminal  curiosity,  and 
gi-atify  his  pride  and  ambition :  And  hence  the  preten- 
sions to  potent  spells,  necromantic  incantations,  and  the 
whole  system  of  magic.  It  was  in  consequence  of  giving 
umestrained  scope  to  this  principle,  that  miraculous  pow- 
ers were  more  earnestly  coveted  in  ancient,  (and  I  may 
add,  in  modern)  times,  than  the  constant  ability  to  do 
good  through  that  influence  which  can  come  from  God 
alone,  working  by  that  love  which  never  faileth. 

That  miraculous  gifts  were  largely  distributed  in  the 
primitive  church,  and  especially  among  the  believers  at 
Corinth,  is  sufficiently  evident,... .and  that  they  were /;/t- 
ferred  by  some  to  that  love  which  is  the  fulfilling  of  the 
law,  is  too  plainly  intimated  in  this  epistle.  The  gift  of 
divei-s  tongues,  or  a  supernatural  capacity  of  speaking 
various  languages  which  a  man  had  not  learnt,  seems  to 
have  prevailed  in  the  Christian  church  for  a  considerable 
time  after  the  day  of  Pentecost.  And  several  mistaking 
the  design  of  the  Lord  in  the  communication  of  these 
gifts,  wished  to  possess  the  miraculous  power  merely  for 
its  omn  sake,  and  not  on  account  of  the  good\v\iich  might 
be  done  by  it.. ..Hence,  if  they  spake  with  tongnes,  (vari- 
ous languages,)  it  was  deemed  sufficient,  notA^ithstanding 
those  who  heard  were  not  edified,  because  they  did  not 
undei-stand  the  language  which  was  spoken.  The  Apos- 
tle shews,  that  acting  in  this  way  did  not  fulfil  the  kind 
intention  of  the  Most  High ;  as  speakiig  of  the  deep 
things  of  God  in  the  language  of  an  Arab,  was  not  calcu- 


AND    HIS    WORK.  115 

lated  to  instruct  a  Greek,  to  whom  tliat  language  was  ut- 
terly unknown.  And  thougli  they  might  appear  more  ex- 
cellent in  their  OAvn  eyes,  because  possessing  more  of  that 
knowledge,  which  too  often  pufteth  up,  (to  which  it  ap- 
pears that  some  even  of  the  believing  Greeks  were  too 
mucli  attached,)  yet  the  Apostle  assures  them,  that  great- 
er was  he,  in  the  sight  of  God,  whose  talent  led  to  gene- 
ral instruction,  than  he,  who  possessed  the  tongue  of  the 
learned,  whether  his  knowledge  were  acquired  by  study, 
or  came  by  divine  inspiration  :....For  the  grand  design  of 
the  gospel-ministry  was,  to  instruct  men  in  righteousness^ 
to  unite  them  to  God,  and  comfort  them  in  all  tribulations 
and  adversities :  And  tliis  appears  to  me  to  be  tlie  meaning 
of  the  words  of  the  text :  He  who  prophcsieth,  speaketh 
mito  men  to  edification,  and  to  exhortation,  and  to  comfort. 
Two  things  the  Apostle  presents  here  to  our  view. 

I.  The  Prophet  :  He  who  prophesieth. 

II.  His  Work  :    He  speaketh  unto  men,  to  cdifi^ct- 
tion,  exhortation,  a?id  canfort. 

I.  The  word  Prophet,  generally  conveys  the  idea  of  a 
person  so  far  acquainted  with  futurity,  as  to  discern  some 
purpose  of  the  divine  Being  relative  to  his  government 
of  the  natural  or  moral  world ;  but  which  is  not  suffi- 
ciently matured  by  the  oeconomy  of  Providence,  to  make 
as  yet,  its  public  appearance,  among  men  :....and  to  pro- 
phesy,  is  usually  understood  to  imply,  the  foretelling  such 
an  event,  the  time  of  its  appearance  and  the  place  of  its 
operation,  with  some  preceding  and  subsequent  circum- 
stances. 

That  several  of  those  who  are  termed  Prophets  in  tlie 
sacred  Avritiugs,  did  thus  predict  future  events,  is  a 
Truth  which  cannot  be  successfully  contested....A  Tmth 
which  successive  ages  have  had  the  fullest  opportunity 


116  THE    CHRISTIAN    PROPHET 

of  confirming.. ..^vhich  stands  as  an  immense  and  impreg- 
nable Buhvark  against  all  the  pretensions  and  sophisms 
of  modern  Deism,  and  which  perhaps,  the  present  event- 
ful period,  tends  not  less  to  confirm,  than  any  of  the  pre- 
ceding ones. 

But  that  tliis  w  as  the  original  and  only  meaning  of  the 
word  Prophet,  or  Prophec}-,  is  very  far  from  being  clear. 
The  first  place  the  word  occurs  is,  Gen.  xx.  7.  w  here  the 
Lord  sa}s  of  Abraham  to  Abimelech,  He  is  a  propliety 
(Nin  \K'2^  nabi  hu)  and  will  pray  (S^an'  yithpallel^  will 
make  earnest  intercession,)  for  thee.  In  the  common  ac- 
ceptation of  the  Avord,  it  is  certain  Abraham  was  no  Pro- 
phet :  But  here  it  seems  to  signify  a  man  w  ell  acquainted 
with  the  supreme  Being,  capable  of  teaching  others  in  di- 
vine things,  and  especially,  a  Man  of  Prayer,....one 
who  had  gi-eat  influence  with  the  God  he  worshipped, 
and  whose  intercessions  were  available  in  the  behalf  of 
others.  And  in  this  sense  the  original  word  N'3J  nabi,  is 
used  in  several  places  in  the  Old  Testament. 

It  was  through  inattention  to  this  meaning  of  the  Avord, 
which  appears  to  me  to  be  the  true,  original,  and  ideal 
one,  that  all  the  Commentators  and  Critics  that  I  have 
met  with,  have  been  so  sadly  puzzled  with  that  part  of 
the  history  of  Saul  which  is  related  1  Sam.  x.  9....  13. 
and  xix.  20....24.  In  these  passages,  the  sacred  Histori- 
an represents  Saul,  who  was  neither  a  Prophet,  nor  the 
son  of  one,  associating  with  the  Prophets,  and  prophesying 
nmong  them  :....to  which  he  was  led,  by  the  Spirit  of  the 
Lord  which  came  upon  him.  That  this  can  mean  no  more 
than  Prayer  and  Supplication  to  God,  accompanied  pro- 
bably with  edifying  hyinns  of  praise,  and  thaiiksgiving, 
(for  they  had  instruments  of  music,  chap.  x.  ver.  5.) 
needs,  in  my  opinion,  little  proof.  If  Saul  had  prophesi- 
ed in  the  common  acceptation  of  the  woi-d,  it  is  not  likely 
that  we  should  have  been  kept  absolutely  in  the  dark  con- 
cerning the  subject  and  design  of  his  predictions:  Of 


AND    HIS    WOUK.  H^ 

which,  by  the  way,  uot  one  syllable  is  spoken  in  the  ora- 
cles of  God.  The  simple  fact  seems  to  have  been  this; 
God,  who  had  chosen  this  man  to  govern  Israel,  designed 
to  teach  hittt,  that  the  Most  High  alone  is  the  fountain  of 
all  power,  and  that  by  him  only,  kings  could  reign,  so  as 
properly  to  execute  justice,  and  be  his  ministers  for  good 
unto  the  people :  To  accomplish  this  gracious  purpose, 
he  gave  him  another  hearty  (ver.  9,)  a  disposition  totally 
different  from  what  he  had  ever  before  possessed,  and 
taught  him  to  pray.  Coming  among  the  sons  of  the  Pro- 
phets, on  whom  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord  rested,  and  who 
were  under  the  instruction  of  Samuel,  (chap.  xix.  20.) 
while  they  woi-shipped  God  with  music  and  supplication, 
Saul  also  was  made  a  partaker  of  the  same  divine  influ- 
ence, diud  propliesied,  i.  e.  made  prayer  and  supplication 
among  them.  To  see  one  who  did  not  belong  to  the  pro- 
phetic school,  thus  incorporated  with  the  Prophets,  pour- 
ing out  his  soul  to  God  in  prayer  and  supplication,  was 
an  unusual  sight  which  could  not  pass  unnoticed,  espe- 
cially by  those  of  Saul's  acquaintance,  who  probably 
knew  him  in  times  past  to  have  been  as  careless  and  as 
ungodly  as  themselves,  (for  it  was  only  7iorv  he  got  that 
other  good  spirit  from  God,  a  sufficient  proof  that  he  had 
it  not  before  ;)  these  companions  of  his  being  unacijuainted 
with  that  grace  which  can  in  a  moment  influence  and 
change  the  heart,  would,  according  to  an  invariable  cus- 
tom, express  their  astonishment  with  a  sneer ;  Is  Sace 
also  among  the  Prophets  ?  That  is,  in  modern  language : 
"  Can  this  man  pray  or  preach  ?  He  whose  education  has 
been  the  same  as  our  own.... employed  in  the  same  secu- 
lar offices,  and  formerly  companion  with  us  in  what  he 
now  affects  to  call  folly  and  sin.. ..Can  such  a  person  be 
among  the  Prophets  ?"  Yes.  For  God  may  have  given 
him  a  new  hearty  and  the  Spirit  of  Ood,  whose  inspira- 
tion alme  can  give  sound  understanding  in  sacred  things, 


118  THE   CHRISTIAN    PROPHET 

may  have  catne  vpon  him  for  this  very  purpose,  that  he 
might  amouiice  uuto  you  the  Righteousness  of  tlie  Lord, 
and  speak  unto  your  ruined  souls,  to  edification,  and  to 
exhortation,  and  to  comfort. 

I  have  dwelt  longer  on  the  case  of  Saul  amon*);  the  pro- 
phets, because  it  appears  to  be  exactly  similar  to  a  case 
mentioned  in  this  chapter,  and  to  which  my  text  is  closely 
allied :  ''If  any  prophesy,  and  there  come  in  one  that  be- 
lieveth  not,  or  one  unlearned,  he  is  convinced  of  all,  he  is 
judged  of  all ;  and  thus  are  the  secrets  of  his  heart  ma- 
nifested;  and  FALLING  DOWN  on  his  face,  he  will  wor- 
ship God,  and  report  that  God  is  among  you  of  a  truth," 
verses  24,  23.     Who  does  not  see  here  a  parallel  case 
to  Saul  among  the  prophets  ?  especially  if  collated  with 
1  Sam.  xix.  20....24.     "  And  Saul  sent  messengers  to  take 
David,  and  when  they  saw  the  company  of  the  prophets 
prophesying,  and  Samuel  standing  presiding  over  them, 
the  Spirit  of  God  came  upon  the  messengers  of  Saul,  and 
they  also  prophesied.     And  when  it  w  as  told  Saul,  he 
sent  other   messengers,  and  they  prophesied  likewise : 
And  Saul  sent  messengers  again  the  third  time,  and  they 
prophesied  also.     And  Saul  went  to  Naioth  of  Ramah, 
and  the  Spirit  of  God  was  upon  him  also,  and  he  went 
on  and  prophesied.... and  he  stripped  off  his  clothes,  and 
prophesied  before  Samuel  in  like  manner,  and  lay  down 
naked,  all  that  day,  and  all  that  night.   Wherefore,  they 
say,    (as   in  the  case  related,  chap,  x.)     Is  Saul    also 
among  the  Prophets!" 

I  have  often  obsci'ATd  in  public  meetings  among  reli- 
gious people,  especially  in  meetings  for  Prayer,  that  per- 
sons wholly  unconcerned  about  the  matter  in  hand,  or  its 
issue,  have  been  suddenly  seized  by  the  spirit  of  the  sup- 
plicants, while  vacantly  staring  at  those  employed  in  the 
sacred  Avork ;  and  falling  down  on  their  knee?,  have  ac- 
knowledged the  power  and  presence  of  the  Most  High, 


AND    HIS    WORK.  119 

and  like  Saul  among  the  prophets,  have  gone  on,  suppli- 
cating with  them,  with  a  rencAved  heart  and  a  right  spirit. 

Those  who  have  taken  on  them  unmercifully  to  criti- 
cise and  condemn  such  meetings,  should  prove,  in  vindi- 
cation of  their  own  conduct,  that  Saul,  the  sons  of  the 
prophets,  and  the  venerable  Samuel  at  theii*  head,  were 
cntJamasts  and  fanatics,  and  that  the  parallel  case  in  this 
chapter,  should  have  been  marked  by  the  Apostle  with 
terms  of  abhorrence  and  detestation,  that  others  might  be 
aware  of  copying  their  example. 

The  history  oi  Elijah  and  the  priests  of  Baal,  mention- 
ed in  1  Kings  xviii.  throws  farther  light  on  this  subject. 
In  verse  2(3,  it  is  said,  "  They,  (the  priests  of  Baal,)  took 
a  bullock  and  dressed  it,  and  called  on  the  name  of  Baal 
from  morning  until  noon,  saying,  O  Baal,  hear  us !.... 
And  they  leaped  upon  the  altar,. ...and  cried  aloud,.... and 
cut  themselves  with  knives,  till  the  blood  gushed  out :.... 
and  they  prophesied,  (\S2Jn""l  vayithnabeu,  a7id  they  made 
supplication,)  until  the  time  of  the  evening  sacrifice." 
From  the  whole  context  it  is  plain,  that  earnest,  impor- 
tunate prayer,  is  alone  what  is  meant  by  prophesying  in 
this  text. 

In  addition  to  what  has  been  said,  it  is  necessary  to 
observe,  that  prophet,  in  the  text,  means  not  only  one, 
who  according  to  the  original  import  of  the  word,  is  an 
intercessor,  or  a  man  of  prayer,  which  is  an  essential 
characteristic  of  every  minister  of  the  gospel;  but  it 
means  also  one,  who  teaches  others  the  great  and  glorious 
science  of  salvation,  and  instructs  men  in  their  religious 
obligations  to  God,  and  in  their  duty  to  their  neighbour 
and  to  themselves :  And  this  is  undoubtedly  the  sense  in 
which  St.  Paul  uses  it  here.  And  as  all  the  prophets  of 
God,  whose  principal  business  it  was  to  instruct  the  peo- 
ple in  the  way  of  righteousness,  were  7nen  of  prayer,  who 
were  continually  interceding  with  God  in  behalf  of  the 


120  THE    CHRISTIAN    PROPHET 

wretched  and  careless  to  whom  they  miuistered,  the  term 
N':33  nabi,  became  their  common  appellative ;  and  thus  a 
part  of  their  office,  intercessors  for  the  people,  might  have 
given  rise  to  that  name,  by  which  the  Spirit  of  God 
thought  proper  afterwards  to  distinguish  those  whom  he 
sent,  not  only  to  pray  for  and  instruct  the  people,  but  al- 
so to  predict  those  future  events  which  concerned  the 
punishment  of  the  incorrigible,  and  the  comfort  and  ex- 
altation of  his  own  sei-vants. 

A  preacher  who  is  not  a  man  of  prayer,  cannot  have  a 
proper  knowledge  of  the  nature  and  design  of  the  gospel- 
ministry :.... cannot  be  alive  to  God  in  his  OAvn  soul;  nor 
is  likely  to  become  instrumental  in  the  salvation  of  others. 
In  order  to  do  good,  a  man  must  receive  good :  Prayer 
is  the  way  in  which  divine  assistance  is  received ;  and 
in  the  work  of  the  ministry,  no  ntan  can  do  any  thing, 
unless  it  be  given  him  from  above.  In  many  cases, 
the  success  of  a  preacher's  labours  depends  more  on  his 
prayers  than  on  his  public  teaching. 

In  the  sense  in  which  I  apprehend  St.  Paul  uses  the 
word  here,  our  blessed  Lord  styles  John  the  Baptist  a 
Prophet,  Luke  vii.  26 :  And  Zacharias  his  father,  speak- 
ing of  him  by  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord,  calls  him  a  prophet 
of  the  HigJicst,  Luke  i.  76,  i.  e.  a  teacher  commissioned 
by  the  Lord  himself,  to  instruct  the  inhabitants  of  Judea, 
in  the  things  which  related  to  the  manifestation  of  the 
Messiah,  and  his  kingdom  :  therefore,  in  ver.  77,  the  mat- 
ter of  his  teaching  is  said  to  be  yv«r<5  <rejrr,^iu^,  the  Sci- 
ence of  Sx\LVATioN.  Men  are  ignorant  of  God  and  them- 
selves,....they  must  be  instructed,  and  for  this  very  pur- 
pose, the  christian  ministry  has  been  established  among 
men.  Human  sciences  may  be  profitable  in  earthly  con- 
cerns, but  cannot  profit  the  soul.  The  science  that 
teaches  godliness  must  come  from  God.  Ko  science  is 
of  any  avail  to  the  soul,  that  does  not  bring  salvation  with 


AND   HIS   WORK.  121 

it.... This  is  the  excellence  of  heavenly  teaching,  and  an 
excellence  that  is  peculiar  to  itself. 

In  the  same  sense,  Judas  and  Silas  are  said  to  be  pro- 
phets, (Acts  XV.  32.)  whose  business  it  was  to  exhort  and 
confirm  tJie  brethren.     See  also  1  Kings  xviii.  29. 

After  what  has  been  said,  it  is  almost  superfluous  to 
observe,  that  as  the  ministers  of  the  gospel  are  termed 
prophets  or  teachers,  it  is  necessarily  supposed,  1st,  That 
they  are  properly  acquainted  with  the  nature  and  design 
of  the  gospel  they  teach.  And  2dly,  That  men  in  ge- 
neral are  ignorant  of  the  things  which  concern  the  king- 
dom of  God. 

That  he  who  professes  to  teach  a  science  to  others, 
should  be  well  instructed  in  it  himself,  all  must  allow.... 
And  that  the  mass  of  the  people  who  even  profess  Chris- 
tianity, are  deplorably  ignorant  of  God  and  his  gospel,  is 
a  melancholy  truth.  But  heavenly  tilings  cannot  be  ap- 
prehended by  the  same  unassisted  powers  which  appre- 
hend earthly  things:.. ..to  acquire  a  proper  knowledge  of 
an  Art  or  Science,  there  must  be  a  natural  aptitude  in  the 
mind  to  receive  it :  And  where  this  exists  not,  the  most 
judicious  instructions  of  the  most  eminent  teachers,  are 
lost.  Man  has  no  natural  aptitude  to  heavenly  things : 
Tlie  carnal  mind,  says  tlie  Apostle,  (i.  e.  the  soul  which 
relishes  nothing  but  what  comes  througli  the  medium  of 
tlie  flesh,  and  which  tends  only  to  gratify  its  desires,) 
knows  not  the  things  of  God;....it  is  enmity  against 
God ;  it  is  not  only  ignorant  of  divine  things,  but  it  loves 
that  Avhich  is  evil,  and  abhors  that  which  is  good:  There- 
fore, the  very  first  part  of  the  teacher's  work  is  to  con- 
vince men  of  this,  and  of  its  ruinous  tendency,  and  to 
shew  them  the  necessity  of  applying  to  God  through  the 
blood  of  the  cross,  who  alone  can  make  them  wise  unto 
salvation,  conquer  their  aversion  to  holiness,  subdue  their 
evil  passions,  and  save  their  souls. 

L 


122  THE   CHRISTIAN    PROPHET 

In  order  to  persuade  men  to  receive   the  wisdom  that 
comes  from  God,  there  must  be  precept  upon  precept, 
line  upon  line,  here  a  little,  and  there  a  little,  according 
to  varying  ciicumstances,  and  the  prejudices  and  capaci- 
ties of  the  people  who  are  to  be  taught.     To  succeed  in 
this,  as  far  as  man  can  succeed,  the  teacher  must  be  en- 
dued with  the  spirit  of  love^  producing  the  living  flame 
of  holy  zeal,  attaching  to  itself  prudence  and  discretion, 
which  shall  cause  the  sacred  fire  to  burn  steady,  while 
love  to  God  and  man,  continues  to  feed  the  flame.     Con- 
stant supplications  must  precede,  accompany,  and  follow 
his  eflbrts  to  guide  sinnei-s  into  the  way :  And  as  God  is 
thus  acknowledged  throughout  the  work,  so  will  he  be 
with  him  in  it ;    and  under  such  a  ministry,  men  cannot 
fail  being  made  wise  unto  salvation,  God  giving  a  con- 
stant poA\  er  to  apprehend,  while  his  faithful  ambassador 
is  holding  fordi  the  Avords  of  life.     But  who  is  sufficient 
for  these   things?  He  alone  whom  God  hath  sent;  to 
whom  He  hath  entrusted  the  ministry  of   reconciliation, 
and  whose  word  he  conveyeth  with  the  demonstration  of 
his  Spiiit  to  the  souls  of  the  people. 

II.  The  Work  of  this  prophet  or  teacher,  or  what  is 
wro7(ght  under  his  ministry,  comes  noAV  to  be  more  par- 
ticularly considered.  The  text  says,  he  speaketh  unto 
men  to  edification,  and  exhortation,  and  comfort. 

1.  To  Edification.  The  original  word  oikoS^ojlcij,  is 
upon  the  whole,  properly  enough  rendered  edification  : 
But  as  tliis  is  a  mere  latin  word,  the  translation  itself  re- 
quires to  be  translated,  as  it  is  as  unintcllible  to  many  peo- 
ple as  the  Greek  word  itself.  Tliey  both  literally  signify, 
to  make,  or  huild  a  house.  The  soul  of  man  is  often  repre- 
sented in  Scripture,  under  the  figure  of  a  building.  This 
metaphor  is  frecjuent  in  the  writings  of  St.  Paul ;  partly 


^ND    HIS   WORK.  123 

because  it  was  peculiarly  expressive ;  and  partly  because 
such  an  idea  must  frequently  occur  to  his  mind  who  was 
himself  a  tciU-maker,  o-KtjvoTreno^,  such  a  person  as  we  term 
hmtse-carpenter.  Hear  him  recuning  to  this  metaphor  oa 
various  occasions:  Wc  who  are  in  this  Tabernacle  do 
groan  .....Ye  are  GoiTs  Building  :....!/'  the  carthh^ 
HOUSE  of  this  Tabernacle  were  desLroye'I,  we  have  a 

HOUSE  7lOt  MADE  with  HANDS  :....As  fl  wise  MASTER-BCIL" 

DER,  I  lay  the  foundation,  Szc.  Szc. 

This  hoit^e  God  formed  in  the  beginning  for  his  o\vn 
temple.... In  it  he  dwelt,  and  in  it,  a  sacrifice  Avorthy  of 
his  immaculate  purity,  and  infinite  Majesty,  was  con- 
stantly offered  up... .But  alas!  man  being  in  this  honour, 
continued  not^.-Sm  was  introduced.. ..the  temple  became 
defiled.... the  Lord  abandoned  it,  Satan  entered  in,  and 
the  house  of  the  Lord  was  laid  in  ruins.  To  re-edify,  or 
re-build  this  house,  and  mate  it  once  more  a  habitation 
of  God  through  the  Spirit,  the  Almighty  Saviour  descend- 
ed from  heaven,  and  dwelt  ((txtjviutcv,  madea  tabernacle 
among  men:  thus  shewing  us,  by  dwelling  in  our  nature, 
in  holiness,  purity,  and  truth,  that  we  might  again  become 
a  holy  temple  of  the  Lord,  and  be  raised  by  his  grace  to 
that  state  of  moral  excellence  and  glory,  which  we  had  in 
the  beginning :  himself  being  the  Pattern  after  which  he 
purposed  to  re-edify  the  building.  But  though  the  human 
soul  be  in  a  state  of  ruin,  and  the  fortn  and  comeliness  of 
the  building  be  passed  away ;  yet  not  one  of  the  original 
materials  is  lost  :....to  follow  the  me  aphor....the  stones 
and  timbers  are  still  in  existence :  But  they  are  all  dis- 
placed and  disjointed:  and  none  but  the  divine  Architect 
can  revive  these  out  of  the  rubbish,  and  restore  the  form 
and  comeliness  of  the  edifice.  To  effect  tliis,  the  Fouh- 
dation  must  be  again  laid ;  the  stones  cleansed  and  repla- 
ced ;  and  the  timbers  rejointed.  Now,  other  foundation 
can  no  man  lay,   so  as  to  have  a  solid,   perfect,   and 


;i24  THE    CHRISTIAN    PHOPHET 

durable  building,  but  that  which  is  laid  already,  viz. 
Christ  cnicijicd;  and  Him,  not  only  as  the  meritorious 
cause  of  the  building,  and  great  Operator  in  it :  but  also 
as  the  Pattern  according  to  which  the  house  is  to  be  form- 
ed. All  that  is  of  Christ  resembles  him.  When  the  ru- 
ined soul  is  built  up^  on,  through,  and  after  him,  the  ex- 
cellence of  the  materials,  the  regular  adjustment  of  the 
parts,  the  form,  beauty,  raagiiificence  and  utility  of  the 
whole,  at  once  proclaim  the  infinite  skill,  unlimited  pow- 
ftr,  and  eternal  love  of  the  great  Architect  "  But  if 
Cj'hrist  be  tlie  sole  builder,  &:c.  what  has  the  teacher  to 
(fo  in  this  w  ork  ?"  Though  he  who  prophesieth  or  teach- 
clh,  cannot  be  properly  styled  the  Builder,  yet  he 
speaks  unto  men  eti  oiKo^of^rji  in  reference  to  this  building, 
recommending  Jesus  as  the  only  Saviour,  and  speaking 
of  the  glory  and  excellence  of  his  work. 

It  is  not  less  necessary  to  build  mi  the  foundation  than 
to  lay  it.  Many  grievously  err  on  this  point.... They  are 
ever  laying  the  foundation,  and  never  building  on  it  : 
And  strange  to  tell,  this  only  is  allowed  by  some  to  be 
preaching  Christ !  as  if  one  should  say,  "  He  who  is  de- 
termined to  build  a  proper  and  convenient  house  for  him- 
self to  dwell  in,  can  never  effect  his  purpose  but  by  lay- 
ing the  foundation  every  day  as  long  as  he  lives."  Who 
does  not  see  that  this  man  can  never  have  a  house  f  He 
has  no  more  than  its  foundation,  andean  never  be  itstw- 
hahitant. 

Let  not  this  saying  be  misrepresented.. ..as  if  the  preach- 
er designed  to  leave  Chnst  out  of  his  building;.... No. 
He  is  as  fully  convinced  that  on  the  gospel  plan,  no  soul 
can  be  saved  but  throus^h  the  blood  of  his  cross,  and  in- 
fluence of  his  Spirit,  as  he  is,  that  a  house  cannot  be  built 
without  a  foundation.  But  he  argues,  that  as  the  foun- 
dation should  be  laid,  and  kept  lying,  once  for  all,  and 
the  building  raised  upon  it ;  so  Christ  Jesus  as  the  Fouxk- 


AND    HIS    WORK.  1^ 

dation-Stone,  as  the  only  Name  through  which  men  can 
be  saved,  should  be  laid  once  for  all :  And  when  it  ap- 
peal's, that  this  foundation  is  laid,  viz.  M'hen  the  sinner 
trusts  on  him  alone  for  salvation,  renouncing  all  depend- 
ence on  things  in  heaven,  and  things  on  earth,  and  things 
under  the  earth  :....and  when  it  appears,  that  his  faith 
hath  not  stood  in  the  wisdom  of  man,  but  in  the  porver 
of  God,  (being  justified  freely  through  the  redemption 
that  is  in  Jesus,  for  then,  and  not  till  then  is  the  founda- 
tion truly  laid :)  I  say,  when  this  fully  appears,  from  that 
moment,  tlie  minister  of  God  who  understands  his  work, 
and  attends  to  it,  will  speak  unto  that  soul  to  edificatioiK 
But  let  it  not  be  supposed  that  the  Lord  Jesus  has  no- 
thing to  do  with  the  building,  but  merely  to  be  its  sup- 
porL.^Ka  is  still  not  only  the  foundation,  without  which 
the  house  must  be  immediately  involved  in  its  primitive 
i*uin,  but  also  the  great  Director  of  the  whole  work.  As 
he  caine  before  btj  blood,  so  he  comes  now  by  ivater  and 
by  the  Spirit  /  by  the  washing  of  regeneration,  and  the 
renewing  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  As  it  was  only  by  his  sa-^ 
crifice  that  the  Atonement  was  made,  so  it  is  only  by  his 
direction  and  energy,  that  even  the  wisest  master-builder 
can  raise  on  this  foundation  a  superstructure  of  gold,  sil- 
ver;  and  precious  stones ;  for  without  him  nothing  good 
can  be  done.  But  the  great  mistake  of  many  is,  the 
preaching  Qirist  only  as  the  Aidhor  of  salvation,  m  ith- 
out  showing  him  to  be  the  AccomplisJier  of  it :  proving, 
Indeed  well,  that  it  is  Christ  that  justifies,  but  not  main- 
taining ftilly  that  his  blood  cleanseth  from  all  unrigh- 
teousness. What  Christ  has  done  for  us,  is  a  favourite 
subject  with  many ;  but  what  Christ  is  to  do  in  us,  is  a 
topic  well  considered  but  by  few. 

In   those  who  are  faithful,    Christ  accomplishes   his 
great  design  :....They  are  built  up.. ..the  house  is  com- 
pleted, and  becomes  a  habitation  of  God  through  the  Spi^ 
L  2 


126  THE   CHRISTIAN   PBOPHET 

rit....a  temple  of  the  ever-blessed  Trinity  :....For  it  is 
written,  ''  If  a  man  love  me,  he  will  keep  my  words,  and 
I  and  the  Father  Avill  come  in  unto  him,  and  make  our 
abode  with  him."  Hence  it  appears,  that  the  end  which 
the  Lord  proposes  in  this  great  work,  is  the  full  salva- 
vation  of  the  soul....t]ie  cleansing  and  purifying  it  from  all 
evil ;  reducing  it  to  harmony  and  order,  that  it  may  be 
complete  in  him;.. ..for  the  man  of  God  must  be  perfect, 
{ec^Ttoi  well-jointed,)  thoroughly  furnished  to  eveiy  good 
work. 

From  this  view  of  the  subject,  we  may  easily  discern 
what  edification  means.  It  is  the  building  up  of  the  soul 
in  the  knowledge,  love,  and  image  of  God.  And  conti- 
nual edification  implies,  a  constant  growth  in  grace.. ..a 
daily  increase  of  those  graces  which  constitute  the  mind 
of  Christ.. ..a  constant  addition  to  the  former  stock,  so  that 
he  who  believes,  and  continues  faithful,  increases  with  all 
the  increase  of  God.  Tims  to  his  faith  is  added  virtue; 
to  virtue,  knowledge;  to  knowledge,  temperance... .bro- 
therly-kindness, and  charity ;  pure  universal  love  to  God 
and  man.  As  every  new  stone  that  is  laid  in  a  building, 
adds  something  to  it,  and  brings  it  nearer  its  perfection ; 
so  every  sermon,  every  act  of  faith... .of  prayer.. ..of  mer- 
cy and  kindness,  becomes  a  mean  in  the  hand  of  the 
Lord,  of  increasing  the  light,  life,  and  love  of  the  believ- 
ing soul :  hence,  to  be  edified^  does  not  mean  merely, 
that  a  man  has  received  some  new  information  on  a  di- 
vine subject,  some  increased  light  in  sacred  matters;  but 
it  means  that  a  man's  house  (following  the  metaphor)  has 
got  another  stone  added  to  it;  another  of  its  scattered 
timbers  put  in  joint... In  a  word,  that  something  heavenly 
is  added  to  what  was  belore  received. 

As  every  individual  thus  edifiedby  the  grace  of  Christ, 
becomes  a  temple  of  God,  so  the  whole  Church  or  assem- 
bly of  the  firstrborn,  form  a  vast  and  grand  building,  in 


AND    HIS    WORK.  127 

which  Jesus  lives  and  reigns.     Each  who  was  individu- 
ally a  temple  of  God,  becoming  a  stone,  or  part  of  this 
general  building.     Therefore,  fully  to  understand  what 
the  Apostle  says  on  the  subject,  1  Pet.  ii.  5,  "  Ye  also, 
as  living  stones,  are  built  up  a  spiritual  house,"  &c.  form 
the  idea  of  a  number  of  souls  edified  as  before  stated, 
built  up  in   faith    and    love,   in  inward   and   outward 
ho\mess...Mnited  in  the  bands   of  christian  fellowship, 
and  walking  in  the  consolations  of  the   Holy  Ghost.... 
These   are   the   liveli/  stones,  instinct  with  the  living 
virtue  of  the  living  God.. ..These  are  built  up  a  spi- 
ritual house,  each  is  considered  a  stone  in  the  sacred  edi- 
fice, and  a  necessary  and  beauteous  part  of  the  building. 
Their  places  may  be  different.. ..some  within,  some  with- 
out ;  some  in  the  backpart  of  the  building,  others  in  the 
front;  some   corner-stones,    uniting   and   strengthening 
the  building;  others  head-stones,  finishing  and  perfect- 
ing the   work.     All  are    arranged,  and  employed,   not 
only  according  to  their  several  degrees  of  grace,  but  also 
according   to   their   various   talents:   nevertheless,   the 
whole   collectively  form  but   one  building,  the  genuine 
catholic  or  universal  Church,  whose  inhabitant  is  the  Most 
High  God. 

In  order  to  erect  this  glorious  building,  we  are  told  by 
St.  Paul,  1  Cor.  xii.  28,  that  "  God  hath  appointed  m 
his  Church,  first.  Apostles,  secondarily,  Prophets,  thirdly. 
Teachers,  after  that  miracles,  then  gifts  of  healing,  helps, 
governments,  and  diversity  of  tongues."  And  all  this  is 
done,  that  being  built  up  on  the  foundation  of  the  Pro- 
phets and  Apostles,  who  made  Jesus  Christ  the  chief 
Corner-Stone,  all  the  building  (through  him)  might  be 
j&tly  framed  together  (<rx;v<ef  ftoAoyot/jttev*;  properly  jointed, 
harmonized,  and  arranged)  and  grow  into  a  holy  temple 
in  the  Lord.     Eph.  ii.  20,  2  K 


128  THE    CHRISTIAN    PROPHET 

Thus,  they  >vho  prophesy  speak  unto  men  to  edification^ 
that  thej  may  be  buill  tip  together  for  a  habitation,  (*«- 
TO  tKt}Ty,ptoi>,  a  co7istant  dwelling-place  J  of  God  through 
the  Spirit, 

II.  But  he  who  prophesicth  speaketh  also  to  men,  to 
Exhortation. 

According  to  the  common  acceptation  of  this  word,  viz. 
advising  a  sinner  to  turn  from  his  sitis,  andconie  to  GOD 
for  Salvation  ;  this  part  of  the  teacher's  work,  must,  in 
the  nature  and  order  of  grace,  precede  edificatioih.  But 
the  word  Train^KXitcrK;  must  not  be  restrained  to  so  limited 
a  meaning  in  this  place  :  from  its  component  parts,  Trat^ot, 
fiear  to,  and  x^Ae<w,  I  call,  v>  e  may  learn,  that  it  implies 
calling  the  soul  near  to  God,  that  it  may  contract  an  inti- 
macy with  him,  be  united  to,  and  be  continually  defended, 
noiUTshed,  and  supported  by  him :  and  this  indeed  is  the 
proper  business  of  exhortation. 

As  this  discovers  to  us  another  paii,  of  the  teacher's 
work,  so  it  gives  us  another  view  of  the  state  of  a  soul 
that  is  not  made  a  partaker  of  the  salvation  of  God.  Man 
is  at  a  distance  from  his  iMaker,  not  in  respect  of  place, 
(for  God  fills  the  heavens  and  the  earth,  and  in  him  we 
all  live,  move,  and  have  our  being,)  but  in  respect  of  na- 
ture,  unity  of  mind,  and  conformity  of  purpose.  There 
is  no  good  in  man,  nor  can  there  be  any,  while  separated 
from  God,  and  united  to  sin.  God  is  pure  and  holy; 
man  is  earthly,  sensual,  devilish:,. ..living  only  In  refer- 
ence to  eartli ;  seeking  only  the  gi'atification  of  his  ani- 
mal desu-es,  and  being  constantly  impelled  by  diabolic  in- 
fluence to  break  the  commandments  of  his  God.  In  a 
greater  or  less  degree,  this  is  the.  state  of  every  soul  of 
man,  for  all,....ALL  have  sinned,  and  come  short  of  the 
gloiy  of  God  j  and  there  is  none  that  doeth  good,  no  not  one. 


AND    HIS   WORK.  199 

saith  the  Lord.  The  sacred  writings  uniformly  represent 
men  as  rebels  against  God ;  obstinately  bent  on  tlie  pur- 
suit of  those  things  which  tend  directly  to  their  present 
misery  and  future  destruction :  and  the  conduct  of  men 
in  general  demonstrates  that  the  character  is  fairly  and 
faithfully  drawn.  Notwithstanding,  there  are  many  who 
are  unAvilling  to  allow  that  this  is  a  true  state  of  the  case ; 
and  to  get  rid  of  this  degrading  character  of  themselves, 
reject  the  whole  system  of  Revelation,  and  forge  for 
themselves  another  character  from  what  they  term  Na- 
tural Religion  ;  a  system  which  they  acknowledge  did  not 
come  from  above,  for  Revelation  they  will  have  nothing 
to  do  with ;  and  yet  this,  they  would  have  others  to  re- 
ceive and  submit  to,  as  implicitly,  as  if  it  had  come  re- 
commended by  all  the  wisdom  and  authority  of  God. 

Mr.  Woolaston,  the  celebrated  author  of  "  The  Reli- 
gion of  Nature  delineated,"  begins  his  tract  thus :  "  Tlie 
fmindatiGn  of  Religion,  lies  in  that  difference  between  the 
acts  of  men,  which  distinguishes  them  into  good,  evil,  and 
indifferent ;  and  if  there  be  such  a  difference,  there  must 
be  a  Religion,  and  e  contra.  Upon  this  account  it  is, 
that  such  a  long  and  laborious  inquiry  hath  been  made 
after  some  general  idea,  or  some  rule,  by  comparing  the 
aforesaid  acts  Avith  which,  it  might  appear  to  which  kind 
they  respectively  belong.  And  though  men  have  not 
yet  agreed  upon  any  one,  yet  one  there  certainly  must  be. 
That  which  I  am  going  to  propose,  ^c.** 

On  this  point  the  following  conclusive  mode  of  arguing 
has  been  adopted.  "  If  the  foundation  of  Religion  lie  in 
the  difference  of  human  actions ;  and  that  difference  can 
only  appear  by  comparing  them  w^ith  some  rule;  and 
though  from  the  beginning  of  the  world  to  this  day,  no 
such  rule  of  moral  good  and  evil  has  yet  been  agreed  up- 
on,  w  hereby  men  might  know  to  which  kind  their  actions 
respectively  belong,  it  is  impossible  there  should  be  any 


130  THE    CHRISTIAN    PROPHET 

such  thing  as  natural  religion  or  law,  because  their  very 
essence  consists  in  enabling  men  to  distinguish  their  ac- 
tions, (and  thereby  their  choice  of  acting,)  Avhether  they 
are  virtues  or  crimes,  moral  good  or  moral  evil :  If  they 
had  no  rule  for  this,  they  had  no  law,  and  if  no  law,  they 
could  have  no  religion,  which  is  nothitigbut  obedience  to 
law :    Or,  if   '  they  never  agreed  upon  one,'  and  without 
agreement  there  can  be  no  rule,  then  there  is  nothing  in 
this  subject  obviously  clear,  universal,  or  true ;  but  all 
the  definitions  of  it  must  be  opinion  or  fahehood,  because 
they  had  no  rule  or   method  to  frame  them  by.     Or, 
*  since  a  rule  there  certainly  must  be,'  if  Mr.  Woolaston 
found  it  out,  then  all  the  preceding  ages  wanted  it,  there 
was  no  such  thing  existing;   therefore,  this  inference  is 
fair,  Mr.  Woolaston's  discovery  is  the  religion  of  Mr. 
Woolaston,  and  not  the  religion  of  nature.     And,  if  he 
first  made  the  discovery,  how  could  it  be  owing  to  reason, 
since  the  light  of  reason  was  as  clear  5000  years  ago  as 
it  is  now  ?  And  if  it  was  not  from  reason  that  he  argued 
so  well,  and  traced  out  the  lineaments  of  law  with  such 
order  and  perspicuity,  then  it  must  be  from  revelation. 
And  that  single  passage  which  he  has  taken  for  the  foun- 
datioJi  of  his  work,  tears  up  the  foundation  of  his  whole 
system ;  and  is  a  demonstration  that  whatever  he  says  af- 
ter, is  not  from  reason,  nature,  eternal  fitnesses,  or  uni- 
versal consent,  but  from  revelation  alone ;  and  that  he  has 
only  transferred  to  the  support  of  one  school  what  he 
leiriit  in  the  other."     This  poor  baseless  system,  attempts 
to  speak  unto  fallen  man,  to  exhortation  and  comfort ;  but 
in  such  a  way  as  his  enemy  could  wish.     It  expatiates  on 
his  dignity  and  perfection  ;  the  strength  and  energy  of  his 
reason,  (though   for  5000  years  it  has  not  been  able  to 
discover  a  rule  of  moral  conduct,)  and  shcAVs  him  his  duty 
as  it  is  termed,  attempting  to  prove,  that  he  is  naturally 
inclined  to  all  good ;  and  that  it  is  only  from  the  influence 


AND    HIS    WORK.  131 

of  example,  that  he  is  at  any  time  warped  from  doing  that 
wJiich  is  holy  and  just.  It  tells  him  he  has  ample  re- 
sources in  himself  to  conquer  any  evil  propensity  he  may 
have  acquired;  for  internal  evil  he  has  none  ;....that  to 
act  upon  this  plan,  is  to  get  free  from  the  shackles  of  folly 
and  superstition,  and  to  enjoy  peace  of  mind  and  lasting 
content. 

This,  according  to  them,  is  the  supreme  good.... But  is 
there  a  particle  of  truth  in  this  meagre  system  ?  Is  not 
the  whole  demonstrably  a  mere  phantom,  "  an  airy  no- 
thing, without  a  local  habitation  or  a  name  ?"  Where  is 
their  certainty?    Where   is   theu-  comfort?... .Ask  the 
whole  tribe  of  modern  deists,  and  their  elder  brethren  the 
Heathen....B\it  still,   it  is  an  important   sotnething!.... 
Then  it  is  a  something  that  has  neither  God  nor  Christ  in 
it..,Christ  it  has  not :    for  it  denies  and  ridicules  his  in- 
carnation, miracles,  and  atonement.     God  it  has  not,  for 
it  denies  both  the  lucessity  and  existence  of  supernatural 
injiu€nce....Kn6  yet  it  is  good !  It  is  an  effect  that  subsists 
without  a  cause  :....?>.  stream  that  is  full,  and  constantly 
running  without  a  producing  fountain.... \i  is  a  rational 
Religion,  in  eternal  hostility  to  reason :  It  will  not  allow 
that  man  is  at  a  distance  from  God ;   and  yet  it  will  not 
admit  that  he  is  nigh.     Union  with  God  through  the  in- 
fluence of  his  Spirit,  is  with  it,  enthusiasm  ;  and  to  say, 
that  man  is  a  fallen  spirit,  and  utterly  incapable  of  re- 
covering himself  from  his  ruinous  state,  is  the  language 
of  reason  and  common  sense,  and  therefore  must  not  be 
countenanced.     Tlie  conclusion  from  its  leading  princi- 
ples is,  man  is  not  evil,  for  the  scripture  account  of  his 
fall  is  a  fable  :....he  is  not  good,  for  there  is  no  inspiration 
of  a  Divine  Spirit.     In  a  word,  he  is  like  some  of  those 
who  have  invented  the  absurd  system,....iVof/ii«^,  or  good 
for  nothing. 


Id2  THE   OHRISTIAN   PROPHET 

But  to  return.  As  exhortation  implies  calling  nearf 
God,  and  supposes  a  distance  between  him  and  the  sin- 
ner, as  stated  before  j  so  it  implies  bringing  God  near  to 
the  soul.  God  was  in  Christ  reconciling  the  world  to 
himself.... and  where  two  or  three  are  gathered  together 
in  the  name  of  Christ,  he  is  in  the  midst  of  them.. ..He 
who  speaketh  unto  men  unto  exhortation,  can  assure  them 
that  the  kingdom  of  God  is  at  han(L.,&u(\  that  God  waits 
to  be  gracious,  and  rejoices  over  them  to  do  them  good : 
therefore,  the  trembling  sinner  may  come  with  boldness 
unto  the  Tiirone  of  Grace,  and  ask  mercy,  and  find 
grace  to  help  in  time  of  need.  Draw  nigh,  therefore,  to 
God ;  and  let  it  be  remembered,  that  drawing  nigh  im- 
plies turning  the  desiies  of  the  heart  towards  him,  (my 
son,  give  me  thy  heart !)  entering  into  his  gracious  counsels 
and  designs,  and  accepting,  as  a  lost  sinner,  the  ample 
salvation  purchased  by  the  blood  of  the  Cross. 

ExJwrtation  of  this  nature  is  peculiarly  needful :  and 
indeed  must  precede  the  building  up,  first  spoken  of,  be- 
cause every  awakened  sinner  is  afraid  of  God,  and  like 
the  penitent  publican,  stands  afar  off,  not  daring  to  ajh 
proach  even  the  place  where  God  records  his  name ;  and 
it  is  a  secret,  which  is  not  with  all  men,  to  know  how  to 
represent  Christ  as  present,  and  to  bring  the  trembling 
soul  even  to  his  seat.  When  a  sinner  considers  God  as 
throned  in  unsufferable  light  and  glory ;  infinitely  full  of 
holiness  and  justice;  he  dares  not  draw  near ;....hvki 
when  he  views  the  light  of  his  glory  in  the  face  of  Jesus 
Christ ;  when  he  is  persuaded  that  God  is  Love,  he  is 
then  inspired  with  confidence,  and  coming  by  Christ 
Jesus,  he  approaches  the  Eternal  Deity  witli  humble 
boldness,  through  the  medium  of  his  own  nature ;  for  God 
was  manifest  in  the  fiesh !  But  tins  part  of  the  teacher's 
work,  as  was  hinted  before,  must  not  be  restrained  merely 


AND    HIS    WORK.  133 

to  those  who  know  not  God.     Every  believer  in  Christ 
Jesus  stands  in  need  of  it.. ..What  is  the  general  voice  of 
the  gospel,  but  a  continual  call  to  men  to  coine  unto  God? 
What  is  the  whole  of  salvation,  but  a  drawing  nigh  to 
him,  in  consequence  of  the  invitations  received  from  his 
word  and  fix)ni  his  ministers  ?  What  is  endless  glory,  but 
an  eternal  approach  to  the  infinite   perfections  of  the 
Godhead  ?  The  sinner  is  invited  to  draw  near :   the  be- 
liever is  invited  to  draw  nearer.. ..The  sinner  who  r^/ 
ceives  not  this  exhortation,  cannot  be  saved :  the  saint  y^o 
does  not  continue  to  receive  it,  cannot  stand  :....Thu/ sin- 
ners and  saints  are  the  continual  objects  of  exhor^^l^^"- 
Sacred  system  of  eternal  Truth !  River  of  C^<^  •  ^^  l^ose 
streams  make  glad  the  holy  city !  Thou  p^^^t,  that  by 
bringing  God  down  unto  man,  man  is  'bought  up  unto 
God,  made  a  partaker  of  the  Divine -''^^t^"^'  and  seated 
on  the  throne  of  his  glory  !....Bu^"^^  ^^^^^  ^^  ^^  speak 
of  another  important  part  of  th^^^^^her's  office,  which  is, 

III.  To  speak  unto  r'  '"^  ''''"'fi''^' 

The  word  cr^-'^"^'*  here  used,  signifies  properly,  that 
comfort  whir*  '^  P^^'^^""  receives  conversing  face  to  face 
with  his=  -^'"^^••••Speaking  words  of  comfort,  descriptive 
^j.  ,.06  good  things,  the  existence  of  which  we  are  as- 
.ed  of;  and  the  promise  of  which  we  receive  on  indu- 
bitable authority. 

This  part  of  the  teacher's  work,  includes  not  only  his 
loving  affectionate  -manner  of  preaching  the  gospel ;  but 
also  his  visiting  from  house  to  house,... .his  hearing  and 
determining  what  were  formerly  called  cases  of  con- 
science,....hk  searching  into,  and  removing  those  scruples 
which  arise  from  the  power  of  temptation,  in  the  minds 
of  those  who  arc  but  beginning  to  walk  in  the  way  of 
life.     These  require  the  speediest  and  tenderest  aid  of 

31 


134  THE    CHRISTIAN    PROPHET 

the  christian  prophet,  who  has  himself  been  comforted  in 
all  his  tribulations,  and  is  hereby  enabled  to  comfort 
others,  by  the  comfort  with  which  he  himself  has  been 
comforted  of  God,  2  Cor.  i.  4. 

The  Promises  of  the  everlasting  gospel  furnish  the 
teacher  with  abundant  matter  for  the  consolation  of  the 
distressed,  both  in  public  and  private.. ..There  is  not  a 
state  of  affliction  or  trial  into  which  a  person  can  be 
"arought,  but  has  some  promise  of  comfort  or  support  an- 
nered  to  it  in  the  sacred  writings.     Cotne  unto  me  all  ye 
^vholahozir  and  are  heavy-laden,  and  I  nill  give  you  rest, 
is  a  px'^mise  of  general  application ;  and  as  Luther  once 
said  of  a  «milar  one,  "  is  worthy  to  be  carried  from  Rome 
to  Jerusaleni,^j^  ^jjg'g  tnees."    Indeed,  the  whole  gospel 
of  God  IS  one  i^and  system  of  co7isolation ;  hence,  it  is 
properly   adapted  .^  ^^^  g^^^g   ^f  suffering  humanity. 
Man  is  a  wretched  ci,,ture;   and  his  state  of  misery  is 
necessarily  implied  in  th  ^^^^^     jj^  ^^^^^^^  ,3^  ^^^^  y^^_ 
cause  he  is  unholy,  and  hoi^^gg^^^^  happiness  are  joined 
in  eternal  union  by  the  Lord.    ^^  ^^^^  j^  ^^^^  hyxni^m  of 
all  blessedness,  no  intelligent  beiw^^^  ^^  j^^^^^^^  ^^^  .^ 
nnim  with  himself.     Sin  prevents  th.  ^^^^^  ^^^.^^ 

place ;  for  God  can  join  himselt  to  notlu.  ^^^^^  ^^^^^  ^^^ 
sembles  his  own  nature.  As  nothing  but  sin  ^  ^^^^^^  ^^^^ 
union  from  taking  place,  the  teacher  of  righteous.  ^  ^^^ 
speak  to  cmnjort,  hy  proclaiming  that  divine  grace,  ^ 
not  only  atones  for,  but  ilestroys  sin;  and,  which  is  gUu 
tidings  of  great  joy  to  all  people. 

It  is  much  to  be  lamented,  that  the  benevolent  gospel 
of  the  Son  of  God,  is  represented  by  many  as  a  system  of 
austerity  and  terror :  but  no  man  can  represent  it  as  such, 
who  understands  it.  If,  knowing  the  terrors  of  the  Lord 
we  persuade  men,  it  is  not  by  these  terrors  we  prevail  on 
them  to  accept  salvation  through  Christ.  The  place  of 
torment  is  uncovered  in  the  sacred  ecriplure,  that  men 


AND    HIS    WORK. 


135 


may  see  and  escape  from  it :   And  the  teaclicr  of  righ- 
teousness should  only  describe  the  devil,  and  his  reign  of 
misery,  so  as  to  cause  men  to  fall  in  love  with  Christy 
and  his  heaven  of  glory. 

Many  seem  to  have  hell  and  destruction  for  a  con- 
stant text;  and  ail  their  sermons  are  giounded  on  these 
subjects.     These  may  alarm  the  careless,  and  terrify  the 
profane,  and  so  they  are  useful  in  their  place ;   but  they 
certainly  do  not  speak  to  men  to  comfort  ;....nor  should  all 

then-  discoiu-ses  be  employed  in  this  way.     It  is  the  doc- 
trine of  JESUS,  of  Jesus  dying  for  our  sins,  and  rising 
for  our  justification;.. ..Jesus  shedding  his  love  abroad  in 

our  hearts  by  the  Holy  Spirit,  filling  us  with  the  meek, 
holy,  gentle  mind  that  was  in  himself,  that  ever  can  be 
available  to  a  sinner's  conversion  and  comfort.     From 
long  experience  I  can  testify,  that  preaching  the  dying 
love  of  Christ  who  bought  us,  is  of  more  avail  to  convert 
sinners,  comfort  the  distressed,  and  build  up  believers  in 
their  most  holy  faith,  than  all  the  fire  of  hell.     For,  as  it 
is  possible  to  make  void  the  law,  through  a  lawless  me- 
thod of  preaching/flii/i ;  so  it  is  possible  to  make  void  the 
gospd^  by  an  unevangelized  preaching  of  the  law  and  its 
terrors.     Let  the  law  be  used  as  God  uses  it;.. ..let  it^w- 

ter,  tliat  the  offence  may  abound,  and  that  sin  may  ap- 
pear exceedins:  sinful  ......then,  let  the  veil  betaken  a^vay 

from  off  the  face  of  the  gospel,  and  let  its  heavenly  splen- 
dours shine  forth  on  the  wTetched....TeU  them,  prove  to 

them,  that  God  is  Love  ;  that  he  delights  not  in  the  death 
of  a  sinner ;  and  that  he  wills  all  to  be  saved,  and  come 
to  the  knoAvledge  of  his  Truth. ...Let  the  sinner's  astonish- 
ed soul  contemplate  the  fullest  proofs,  that  even  God 
himself  could  give  of  his  willingness  to  save  men,  viz. 
the  asrony  and  bloody  sweat,  the  cross  and  passion,  the 
terrible  death,  and  glorious  resurrection  of  the  Almighty 
Jesus  !....Let  him  Avho  prophesicth,  shew  these  to  the  vi- 


136 


THE    CHRISTIAN  PROPHET 


lest,  the  most  profligate,  and  the  most  -vvretclied  of  sinners, 
and  then  let  them  disbelieve  the  Philanthropy  of  God,  if 
they  can. 

"  But,"  says  one,  "  I  am  a  sinner,  condemned  by  the 
law  of  God,  and  condemned  by  my  own  conscience :  for, 
having  broken  the  law,  I  am  under  the  curse."  Granted. 
But  the  gospel  proclaims  Jesus  ;  and  Jesus  saves  sinners. 
"  But  I  deserve  no  mercy."  True :  but  the  gospel  speaks 
not  of  the  merits  oi  man,  but  of  the  merits  of  Christ.. ..It 
is  because  thou  art  a  sinner  thatthou  hast  need  of  him :.... 
and  hadst  thou  not  been  such,  Jesus  needed  not  to  have 
died  for  <Ae^....Again,  it  is  because  thou  art  a  sinner,  that 
thou  hast  a  clai?n  on  his  mercy  ;  andthat  very  thing  (thy 
guiltiness)  which  thou  conceivest  to  be  an  ai'gument 
against  thee,  and  an  insuperable  barrier  to  thy  salvation, 
is  an  unanswerable  argument  in  thy  behalf;  and  an  abso- 
lute proof,  that  if  thou  come  unto  him  who  died  for  thee, 
thou  shalt  not  perish,  but  have  everlasting  life.  In  com- 
passion to  thy  weakness,  and  to  shew  thee  that  God  is 
Love,  he  hath  promised  thee  life ;  and  bound  himself  by 
his  oath  to  fulfil  the  promisehe  hath  made  :....that  through 
these  two  immutable  things,  (his  oath  and  promise,)  in 
either  of  which  it  is  impossible  for  God  to  lie,  thou  migh- 
test  have  strong  consolation,  while  fleeing  to  lay  hold  on 
the  hope  set  before  thee  in  the  gospel.  Thus,  the  testi- 
monies of  Christ  encourage,  and  thus,  he  who  prophesieth, 
speaketh  unto  men  to  comfort.  Lord  of  the  Univei-se  ! 
what  hast  thou  not  done  to  save  men  ?  And  yet,  dreadful 
obstinacy  t  they  will  not  come  unto  thee  that  they  might 
have  life. 

After  all,  it  is  only  Christ  Avho  can  speak  to  the  heart ;.... 
who  can  give  the  word  of  promise,  its  form,  stibstancc, 
and  fulfilment,  in  the  soul.  To  get  this  done,  the  teach- 
er, OS  stated  in  the  beginning  of  this  discourse,  must  be  a 
man  of  prayer,  that  he  may  bring  the  Spirit,  as  well  as 


AND    HIS   WORK.  137 

the  word  of  Christ,  into  his  public  ministrations.  Then, 
an  unction  will  accompany  his  word,  and  all  his  hearers 
shall  be  evidences,  that  this  teacher  spcakelh  unto  men, 
to  edification,  and  to  exhortation,  and  to  comfort. 

From  what  has  beeu  said,  we  may  learn, 

First,  That  every  minister  of  God  is  divinely  taught.... 
is  made  wise  to  salvation  himself,  and  filled  with  the 
Holy  Ghost  and  with  prayer. 

Secondly,  That  he  Avho  receives  the  gospel,  is  trans- 
lated from  the  kingdom  of  darkness,  sin,  folly,  and  error, 
into  the  glorious  liberty  of  the  sons  of  God. 

Thirdly,  That  the  Religion  of  Christ,  does  not  consist 
in  a  system  of  opinions,  orthodox,  or  heterodo: ,  but  is  a 
principle  that  edifies,  that  builds  up  the  soul  in  knoA\^ledge 
and  love  :....that  takes  sin  from  it,  and  adds  holiness  to  it. 

Fourthly,  That  the  gospel  unites  God  and  man.  It 
calls  men  to  God,  and  brings  God  to  men,  that  they  may 
be  of  one  spirit  with  him.  ^ 

Fifthly,  That  in  consequence  of  this  union,  men  be- 
come partakers  of  the  Divine  Nature,  escape  the  conta- 
gion that  is  in  the  world,  and  become  truly  happy, 
because  they  are  completely  holy. 

Sixthly,  That  Christ  and  him  crucified,  is  the  grand 
subject  of  evangelical  preaching;  and  that  nothing  but 
his  gospel,  ever  was,  or  will  be,  the  power  of  God  to  the 
salvation  of  a  lost  world. 

M  2 


138  THE    CHRISTIAN   PROPHET,   &C. 

Lastly,  That  where  there  is  a  ministiy  by  which  men 
are  not  made  wise  unto  salvation,  saved  from  sin,  and 
buih  up  in  holiness.... united  by  the  Spirit  of  Christ  to  the 
God  of  heaven,  and  made  happy  in  his  love ;  thcre^  either 
the  teacher,  or  the  matter  of  instruction,  is  not  of  God  : 
for,  he  who  prophesieth,  speakcth,  (according  to  my  text) 
to  edification,  and  to  exhortation,  and  to  comfort. 

Now  unto  God  only  wise,  gracious  and  good,  be  glory 
and  dominion  unto  all  ages,  through  Christ  Jesus !  Amen, 
and  Amen. 

Bristol,  August  12,  1798. 


DISCOURSE 


THE  HISTORY 


RICH  MAN  AND  THE  BEGGAR 


FBOM  LUKE  XVL  19—31. 


BY  ADAM  CLARKE,  LL.  D. 

PRINCIPAL    LIBRARIAN   TO   THE    SURRY    INSTITUTION, 

AND 

AUTHOR  OF  THE  COMMENTARY  ON  THE  HOLY  BIBLE. 


NEW-YORK: 

PUBLISHED  BY  E.  SARGEANT,  AND  GRIFFIN  AND  RUDD  ; 
AND  J.  F.  WATSON,  PHILADELPHIA. 

Paul  and  Thomas^  Printers. 

1812. 


ADVERTISEMENT. 


»9«- 


J\  EARLY  twenty  years  ago,  I  met  with  and  read  that 
Sermon  of  the  Bishop  of  Clermont,  entitled,  Lc  mauvais 
Riclic.  I  was  surprised  to  find  tliat  the  Author  did  not 
view  this  rich  mani  as  a  profligate,  abandoned  character, 
but,  on  the  contrary,  as  an  innocent  man,  in  comparison 
of  multitudes  who  make  no  doubt  that  they  shall  rest 
eternally  with  God.  The  more  I  examined  the  subject, 
the  more  I  was  convmced  his  view  of  it  was  correct. 
As  far  as  I  recollect  (for  I  have  not  read  his  sermon 
since,)  I  have  gone  on  the  same  principle  in  the  follow- 
ing Discoui-se. 

A  conviction  that  the  subject  is  of  great  importance, 
and  that  it  is  generally  misunderstood,  has  induced  me 
to  lay  my  thoughts  on  it  before  the  public.  In  doing 
this  I  aim  at  trvo  grand  objects ;  1.  To  console  the  pious 
poor  man  under  his  afflictions  and  poverty,  by  shewing 
him  that  he  is  an  object  of  God's  tenderest  regards,  that 
his  sorrows  must  soon  terminate,  and  that  he  shall  shortly 
be  with  his  Maker  in  everlasting  blessedness :  and  thus 
to  reconcile  his  mind  to  his  situation. 

2.  To  shew  the  Rich,  who  live  an  ungodly,  volup- 
tuous life,  that  though  their  conduct  may  not  be  dis- 
graced by  flagrant  acts  of  iniquity,  yet  if  they  have  been 
destitute  of  true  piety  to  God,  and  beneficence  to  man, 
in  a  word,  if  they  have  not  given  God  their  hearts,  and 
have  not  honoured  him  with  their  substance  in  doing 


142  ADVERTISEMENT. 

good  among  men,  they  never  can  inherit  that  glory  where 
only  the  pious  and  beneficent  shall  ever  be  permitted  to 
enter. 

I  have  said  little  concerning  the  case  of  those  who  are 
merely  covetous,  whose  maxim  is,  Rem  si  possis  rede ;... 
Si  71071,  quoamquc  modo  rem.  To  acquire  property  by 
just  means  if  convenient,  but  if  not,  by  whatever  means 
may  present  themselves.  Tlie  case  of  such  is  already 
adjudged,.... the  universal  voice  of  God  and  man  con- 
demns them.  They  get  all  they  can,  and  keep  all  they 
get ;  nor  does  Society  even  ultimately  benefit  by  their 
luxury,  for  in  this  way,  their  money  never  circulates,.... 
even  the  supply  of  their  own  wants  ^  felt  a  heavy  tax 
upon  the  vile  and  degrading  principle  by  which  they  are 
actuated.  Charity  itself  says,  The  salvation  of  such  is 
impossible. 

Much  more  might  have  been  said  at  the  conclusion  of 
the  Discourse,  on  the  Sufficiency  of  Divine  Revelation,  for 
all  the  purposes  of  life  and  godliness;  but  I  omitted  this, 
knowing  that  several  excellent  Sermons  have  been  al- 
ready -wTitten  on  that  part  of  the  subject.  The  best  of 
which  is,  I  think,  that  of  Mr.  Saurin,  entitled,  La  Siiffi- 
sance  de  la  Revelation,  CEuvres,  Vol.  i.  p.  404,  &c.  from 
which  I  have  taken  a  few  sentences,  which  are  acknow- 
ledged in  their  place.  Mr.  Saurin's  Sermon,  for  ele- 
gance of  diction,  perspicuity  of  method,  and  cogency  of 
reasoning,  has  scarcely  its  equal  in  any  language. 

ADAM  CLARKE.  " 


A  DISCOURSE,  ^t. 


\ 


LUKE  xvi.  19—31. 

There  was  a  certain  rich  man,  who  was  clothed  in  purple 
and  fine  linen,  and  fared  sumptuously  every  day.  And 
there  was  a  certain  beggar  named  Lasarus,  who  was 
laid  at  his  gate  fidl  of  sores,  and  desiring  to  be  fed 
with  the  crumbs  which  felljrom  the  rich  mans  table  : 
Moreover  the  dogs  came  and  licked  his  sores.    And  it 
came  to  pass  that  the  beggar  died,  and  was  carried  by 
the  angels  into  Abraham^ s  bosom:  The  rich  man  also 
died,  and  was  buried.  And  in  hell  he  lifted  up  his  eyes, 
being  in  tornunts,  and  seeth  Abraham  afar  off,  and 
Lazarus  m  his  bosom.    And  he  cried  and  said,  Father 
Abraham,  have  mercy  on  me,  and  send  Lasarus,  that 
he  may  dip  the  tip  of  his  finger  in  water,  and  cool  my 
tongue ;  for  I  am  tormented  in  this  flame.   But  Abra- 
ham said.  Son,  remember  that  thou  i?i  thy  life-time  rc- 
ceivedst  thy  good  things,  and  likewise  Lazarus  evil 
things:  hutnmv  he  is  comforted,  andthoti  art  torment- 
ed.   And  besides  all  this,  between  us  and  you  there  is 
a  great  gulf  fixed:  so  that  they  who  woidd  pass  from 
hence  to  you,  cannot ;  7ieither  can  they  pass  to  us  that 
would  come  from  thence.     Then  he  said,  I  pray  thee, 
therefore,father,  that  thou  wouldst  send  him  to  my  fa- 
ther's house  :  For  I  have  five  brethren ;  that  he  may  tes- 
/'^  unto  them,  lest  they  also  come  into  this  place  of 
ormt.^     ^ftrai'i^m  saith  unto  him.  They  have  Moses 


144  HISTORY    OF    THE 

and  tJie  Propliets  ;  let  them  hear  them.  And  he  said. 
Nay,  father  Abraham :  but  if  one  went  vnto  them  from 
the  dead,  they  will  repent.  And  he  said  unto  him,  If 
they  hear  not  Moses  and  the  Prophets,  neither  will  they 
he  persuaded  though  one  rose  from  tlie  dead.''"' 

X  HE  Context  iaforms  "s,  that  our  Lord  delivered  the 
preceding  awful  histoiy  on  the  following  occasion.  Some 
Pharisees  being  present,  whose  hearts  Christ  knew  were 
inordinately  attached  to  the  world,  who  had  the  fonn  of 
godliness,  but  w  ere  destitute  of  its  power,  and  yet  pre- 
tended to  be  the  only  servants  of  the  Almighty  ;  to  awa- 
ken them  to  a  due  sense  of  the  inconsistency  of  their 
conduct,  and  the  vanity  of  their  expectations,  our  blessed 
Lord  repeated  a  sentiment  which  he  had  formerly  de- 
livered in  his  Sermon  on  the  Mount :  viz.  "  JSTo  sen- ant 
can  serve  two  masters;  for  either  he  will  hate  the  one 
and  love  the  other;  or  else  he  will  hold  to  the  one  and 
despise  the  other :"  and  this  he  urged  home  on  their 
consciences  with,  "  Ye  cannot  serve  God  and  Mammon.'''' 
This  maxim  could  not  be  successfully  controverted :  it 
being  sufficiently  evident,  that  we  fully  serve  him  only, 
whom  we  love  supremely :  for  a  man  cannot  be  in  per- 
fect indifference  betwixt  two  objects  Avhich  are  incompa- 
tible :  he  must  at  least  comparatively  hate  and  despise 
wliat  he  does  not  love  supremely,  Avhen  the  necessity  of 
making  a  choice  presents  itself.  These  sayings  ^ave 
the  highest  offence :  for  the  sacred  Writer  immediately 
observes,  ver.  14,  "  The  Pharisees"  (piAoc^yv^oi  vTrup^ov' 
Tf5,  beitig  lovers  of  money,  having  heard  these  things, 
derided  him,"  e^ef^vKTtj^K^cv  uvrov,  a  phrase  which  can- 
not be  literally  translated,  but  which  signifies,  they  treats 
him  with  the   utmost  indecency  and  contempt  :* 

*  ^  y  Z  Hesych. 


RICH    MAN    AND  IM^E    BEGGAR.  145 

Vhy?  Because  they  were  hvers  of  money,  and  he 
sliewed  them  tha.  all  such  were  in  the  utmost  danger  of 
perdition.  As  they  were  wedded  to  this  life,  and  not 
seriously  concerned  for  the  other,  they  considered  hin 
one  of  the  most  absurd  and  foolish  of  men,  and  worthy 
only  of  the  most  sovereign  coirtempt,  because  he  tauglit 
that  spiritual  and  eternal  things  should  be  preferred  be- 
fore the  riches  of  the  Universe. 

From  what  farther  passed  on  this  occasion  we  learn, 
tliat  they  not  only  gave  their  heai'ts  to  the  world,  but 
endeavoured  io  justify  themselves  before  77ien,  in  doing 
it :  i.  e.  they  endeavoured  to  make  it  appear  to  others^ 
lliat  though  they  felt  an  insatiable  tliirst  after  the  pre- 
sent world,  yet  they  could  secure  the  blessings  of  ano- 
ther :  reconcile  God  and  Mammon,  and  serve  two  mas- 
ters of  opposite  interests,  with  equal  zeal  and  affection. 
And  in  this  they  were  unhappily  successful :  for,  as  in 
their  outward  conduct  they  w^ere  conformed  to  the  letter 
of  the  Law,  the  people  not  only  considered  them  as 
saints,  but  had  them  highly  in  estimation.,  ver.  1 5,  and 
were  doubtless  influenced  by  their  example  to  act  in  the 
same  way.  Had  the  matter  ended  here,  the  ungodly 
Pharisees  might  have  triumphed  in  their  scorn,  and  the 
common  people  hav^e  been  confirmed  in  their  worldly- 
niindediiess.  Something,  therefore,  was  necessary  to  be 
done,  in  order  to  confound  these  lovers  of  Mammon,  to 
undeceive  the  people,  and  to  instruct  all  succeeding  ge- 
nerations, which  was  this,  to  prove  by  example  on  the 
authority  of  eternal  Truth,  that  if  any  man  love  the 
world,  the  love  of  the  Father  is  not  in  him ;  and  that 
howsoever  conformed  to  the  tetter  of  God's  Law  his  out- 
w  ard  conduct  may  be  ;  yet  if  his  money  be  his  idol,  and 
his  belly  his  god ;  he  can  never  enter  into  the  kingdom 
of  heaven,  though  no  outward  viciousness  can  attach  to 
his  character.     He  shall  perish,   merely  because  he 


146  HISTORY    OF    THE 

loved  the  world,  and  did  not  love  God  with  all  his 
heart :  while  the  poor  ifflicted  godly  man,  who  was  des- 
titute of  every  earthly  good,  but  whose  heart  was  re- 
plenished with  love  and  piety  towards  his  Maker,  shall 
at  his  demise  be  infallibly  taken  to  the  regions  of  the 
blessed. 

In  order  to  accomplish  these  gi*eat  purposes,  our  bless- 
ed Lord  thus  addressed  them :  There  7vas  a  cci'tain  rich 
man  at  Jerusalem,  &c.    Before  I  proceed  to  consider  the 
different  parts  of  this  portion  of  Scripture,  it  may  be  ne- 
cessaiy  to  inquke  in  what  light  the  whole  passage  should 
be  viewed.     Is  it  a  parable^  or  a  real  history  ?    Many 
of  the  primitive  fathers  *  supposed  it  to  be  a  real  history^ 
because  the  circumstances  are  more  distinctly  marked  in 
this,  than  they  are  in  mere  parables ;  and  besides  there 
is  a  man's  name  mentioned  in  this  account,  which  is  ne- 
ver done  in  any  parable^  however  the  connecting  circum- 
stances may  seem  to  require  it.     Others  assert  that  it  is 
a  parable ;  and  this  they  contend  for  principally,  because 
they  are  not  willing  that  any  of  the  facts  mentioned  in  it 
should  be  literally  understood.     Of  all  the  modes  of  in- 
terpreting the  sacred  Writings,  the  allegorical  and  meta- 
phorical have  ever  appeared  to  me,  tlie  most  exceptiona- 
ble and  dangerous :  and  for  the  purposes  of  general  edifi- 
cation, the  literal  method  is  undoubtedly  the  best.   With 
fear  and  trembling  should  any  man  depart  from  the  literal 
meaning  of  a  text,  except  where  a  metaphor  is  evident, 
and  a  spiritual  sense  plainly  indicated.     As  I  am  not  cer- 
tain how  far  this  passage  is  to  be  nutapliorically  under- 
stood, and  as  a  literal  explication  of  it  conveys  a  perfect- 
ly consistent  sense,  I  shall  prefer  the  latter,  and  shall  not 
attempt  to  decide  on  the  question,  whether  this  be  a  real 


*  Irenseus,  Ambrose,  TertuUian,  Euthymius,  Gregory  the 
Great,  &c. 


RICH    MAN    AND    THE    BEGGAR.  147 

history^  or  di  parable,  though  I  cannot  help  leaning  to  tlie 
former  opinion.  If  it  be  a  parable,  it  is  a  representation 
of  what  may  be ;  for  parable  properly  signifies  a  near 
representation  oj  the  truth.  If  it  be  a  real  history,  it  is 
a  description  of  what  has  been.  Either  a  man  may  live 
as  is  here  described,  and  go  to  perdition  when  he  dies . 
and  so  the  parable  proves  the  possibility  of  the  thing :  or, 
some  have  lived  in  this  Avay,  and  are  now  suffering  the 
torments  of  an  eternal  fire.  The  account  is  equally  in- 
structive in  whichsoever  of  these  hghts  it  be  viewed. 

Let  us  carefully  observe  all  the  circumstances  offered 
here  to  our  notice,  and  we  shall  see, 

I.  Why  this  man's  soul  was  sent  to  perdition  ?  And 

II.  In  what  his  punishment  consisted  ? 

"  There  was  a  certain  rich  man"  in  Jerusalem,  ver.  19. 
As  it  is  most  likely  this  w^as  a  true  history,  there  is  no 
doubt  our  Lord  could  have  mentioned  the  name  of  this 
rich  man,  as  well  as  that  of  the  beggar;  but  as  this  might 
have  given  offence,  he  Avith  great  delicacy  passes  it  by. 
It  is  true,  in  the  scholia  of  some  ancient  copies  of  this 
chapter,  he  is  called  Nineve ;  but  this  seems  to  be  an  at- 
tempt to  be  wise  above  w  hat  is  written,  and  on  it  no  de- 
pendence should  be  placed. 

He  was  rich.  As  this,  according  to  our  Lord's  ac- 
count, stands  in  the  number  of  his  vices  ;  it  is  of  the  ut- 
most consequence  to  the  whole  history  to  understand 
what  is  meant  by  it  ?  Were  the  solution  of  this  question, 
What  is  implied  in  being  rich  ?  left  to  those  who  are  in- 
ordiiately  attached  to  the  goods  of  this  life,  the  answ^ers 
would  be  strangely  various;  as  each  would  give  a  defini- 
tioQ  according  to  the  quantum  of  the  covetous  principle 


148  HISTORY    OF    THE 

which  ruled  his  own  heart.  We  must,  tlierefore,  fiud 
some  general  definition  which  will  explain  the  import  of 
the  word  and  determine  its  meaning. 

As  Riches  are  put  in  opposition  to  Poverty ;  and  we 
know  that  poverty  implies  being  destitute  of  the  necessa- 
ries, conviriiencies,  and  comforts  of  life ;  then  we  may 
safely  infer,  tliat  to  be  rich  implies  being  possessed  of  all 
the  necessaries,  all  the  conveniencies,  and  all  the  comforts 
of  life.  He  who  possesses  these  is  indisputably  a  rich 
man.  But  what  are  these  ?  By  the  necessaries  of  life 
we  must  understand,  a  sufficiency  of  nourishing  meat  and 
drink,  with  such  clothing  as  is  suited  to  the  state  of  the 
body,  the  nature  of  the  climate,  and  a  man's  circumstances 
in  life.  By  the  conveniencies  of  life,  a  proper  habitation, 
decent  furniture,  and  suitable  attendance.  And  by  the 
comforts  of  life,  we  may  understand  what  pleases  the  eye 
and  gratifies  all  those  reasonable  desires,  which  contri- 
bute in  the  most  effectual  manner  to  promote  the  health 
of  the  body,  preserve  it  in  vigour,  and  prolong  its  life. 
A  man,  it  is  tme,  may  possess  all  these  and  not  think 
himself  rich,  but  be  a  continual  prey  to  earnest  longings 
after  more ;  for, 

Crescit  amor  nunmri  quantttm  ipsa  pecunia  crescit, 

the  love  of  money  increases  in  proportion  to  w  hat  a  man 
gains,. ...but  these  unreasonable  desires  do  not  belong  to 
tht  question,  1st,  Because  the  gi-atification  of  them  could 
not  contribute  to  his  happiness,  who  has  already  all  the 
necessaries,  conveniencies,  and  comforts  of  life;  and 
2dly.  Because  such  gratification  would  infallibly  injure, 
if  not  ruin  him,  as  whatever  is  forced  upon  nature  beyond 
what  it  needs,  must  impair  the  health,  enfeeble  the  con- 
stitution, and,  in  the  end,  destroy  life.  In  the  above  sense 
a  man  may  be  ituiocently  rich :  but  there  is  a  sense  in 


RICH    MAN    AND    THE    BEGGAR.  149 

which  to  be  rich  is  criminal :  i.  e.  when  a  man  gets  all 
he  can,  suppose  even  by  honest  means ;  and  though  he 
acquires  much  more  than  he  needs,  yet  keeps  all  he  gds : 
and  he  is  more  especially  criminal  when  he  expends  any 
portion  of  his  affluence  on  foolish,  unreasonable,  and  sin- 
ful desires,  neglecting  the  poor  in  whose  behalf  God  has 
put  him  in  trust  with  this  extra  pi-operty.  How  awful 
are  riches  when  we  find  they  are  so  difficult  to  be  ma- 
naged, and  what  a  most  solemn  account  must  be  given  of 
them  to  God  in  the  day  of  judgment !  The  person  in  the 
text  is  said  to  have  been  rich :  to  this  cucumstance  our 
Lord  adds  nothing:  he  neither  says  that  he  was  bom  to 
a  large  esta(e,  nor  that  he  had  acquired  one  by  unjust 
me.ins ;  nor  that  he  was  proud,  insolent,  and  oppressive 
in  the  possession  of  it :  nothing  of  this  kind  is  intimated 
in  the  text,  it  would  be  Ltterly  improper  to  attempt 
to  deduce  it  by  way  of  inference.  This  alone  appears 
pretty  plain:  he  got  all  he  could,  kept  all  to  himself,  and 
lived  Avithout  God  in  the  world :  This  was  the  first  step 
to,  and  cause  of  his  perdition. 

2.  The  matter  of  his  clothing  should  be  particularly 
considered.  The  text  says.  He  was  clothed  with  piirple 
andjine  linen.  Purple  (^o^(^vpx)  Pliny  says,  is  a  species 
of  marine  shell-fish,  Avhich  has  a  white  vein  betAveen  its 
jaws,  in  Avhich  a  small  portion  of  that  precious  lionor  is 
contained,  Avhich  Avas  made  use  of  to  dye  garments.*  The 
finest  species  of  this  shell-fish  Avas  found  at  Tyre;  hence 
the  Tyrian  Purple  so  celebrated  through  all  antiquity ; 
and  tliis  was  so  costly,  that  the  same  author  tells  us  a 


*  Sed  purpuras  florem  ilium  ting-endis  expetitunvvestibiw,  in 
mediis  habent  faucibus:  liquoris  hie  mininii  est  in  randida 
wna  unde  pretiosus  ille  bibitur,  &c.  Hist.  Nat.  lib.  ix;  cap.  36, 
IS  2 


15d  HISTORY   OF    THE 

pound  of  it  could  not  be  bought  for  a  thousand  denarii,* 
equal  to  31/.  5^.  sterling.  This  costly  clothing  was  worn 
principally  by  Emperors,  Princes,  ami  Generals;  and 
was  originally  used  as  an  emblem  of  illustrious  birth; 
or,  to  designate  some  important  office.  But  in  the  times 
of  Roman  degeneracy,  it  became  an  article  of  dress.  He 
was  clothed  also,  the  text  says,  in  fine  linen,  jivrcov. 
The  Iji/ssiis,  according  to  Pliny,  was  a  species  offinejiax 
that  grew  about  Elis  in  Achaia,  and  was  as  precious  as 
gold,  for  a  scmple  of  it,  he  says,  was  sold  for  four  de- 
narii,! about  2s.  Qd.  Calmet  contends  that  the  Bt/ssus, 
called  in  Hebrew,  yy2  huts,  (and  mentioned  for  the  first 
time,  1  Chron.  xv.  27,  as  that  with  whic;i  David  was 
clothed  when  he  brought  the  Ark  from  the  house  of  Ohed- 
€dom,)  was  that  sUlof  tuft  adhering  to  the  Pimia  Mag^na^ 
a  species  of  large  muscle,  sometimes  more  than  four  feet 
in  length,  and  by  which  it  attaches  itself  to  other  bodies.  J 
This  shell-fish,  Mr.  Tournefort  says,  is  found  along  the 
coast  of  the  Mediteri'anean  Sea,  from  Constantinople  to 
> Egypt.  Of  this  beautiful  substance  it  is  certain,  that 
very  splendid  garments  were  made  among  the  ancients ; 
and  it  is  likely  that  from  this  the  sacerdotal  garments 
■of  the  JcATs  were  made.    St.  Basil  and  Proc&pius  pai> 


•  Dibapha  Tyria,  quae  in  libras  denariis  mille  non  poterat 
emi.     Hist.  Nat.  lib.  ix.  c.  39. 

•j-  — circa  Elim  m  Achaia  genlto  ;  quaternis  denariis  scro- 
fula ejus  permutata  quondam,  ut  auri  reperio.  Ibid.  lib.  xias. 
c.  1.  in  fine. 

#  Harum  Pinnarum  altitude  aHquando  quatuor  pedes  ex- 
cedit.  Lanam  seu  Byssum,  ex  ea  parte,  qua  in  terra  figitur 
•emittit.  Vid.  Index  Conchylior.  JV.  Oualteriy  Tab.  Ixxviii. 
fig.  A.  where  tl>e  reader  may  see  the  figure  of  this  extraordi- 
.Rftry  sheU. 


RICH    M.iN    AND    THE   BEGGAR.  151 

ticularly  mention  it.  We  have  thus  seen  the  matter  of 
uhich  the  clothing  of  this  rich  man  Aras  composed  :  and 
though  the  whole  was  extremely  costly,  yet  it  is  not  in- 
timated that  his  purple  and  line  linen  were  unsuitable  to 
his  place,  birth,  or  official  dignity.  If  he  were  a  rulcr^ 
his  rank  in  life  might  have  required  this  clothing :  but 
be  this  as  it  may,  it  is  not  at  all  insinuated  that  he  fol- 
lowed any  ridiculous  fashion,  exceeded  the  bounds  of 
his  income,  clothed  himself  at  the  expense  of  others,  or 
endeavoured  to  debauch  the  heart  of  the  giddy  and  un- 
experienced, or  ever  made  his  love  of  dress  an  agent  to 
greater  crimes.  JNTevertheless,  our  Lord  lays  this  down 
as  the  second  cause  of  his  perdition  :  He  was  clothed  in 
purple  and  fine  lin^n ;  and  probably  felt  little,  if  any 
concern,  for  those  w  ho  Avere  destitute  of  necessary  co- 
vering. 

3.  Having  examined  his  clothing,  we  may  next  con- 
sider his  daily  fare.  Though  the  matter  and  quality  of 
the  first  are  particularly  noticed  by  our  Lord,  yet  in  re- 
ference to  the  second,  he  says  no  more  than  this,  that 
He  fared  sumptuously  every  day,  tvcpfecivofCBvoi  »»$*  njite^ia 
>MtJL'x^6t<i.  He  had  splendid  feasts  daily,  accompanied 
with  gieat  hilarity,  for  this  the  original  word,  tv(p^enyt>, 
imports;  and  in  this  sense  it  is  frequently  used:  Sec 
chap.  XV.  23.  Acts  ii.  26;  vii.  41.  Rom.  xv.  10.  GaL 
iv.  27,  (fee. 

From  the  whole  account  it  is  plain  that  this  man  kept 
what  is  termed,  a  good  table,  and  no  doubt  had  constant 
companions  in  his  daily  festivities.  But  let  us  inquire 
how  far  all  this  appears  from  the  letter  of  the  text,  to  be 
criminal.  It  is  well  known  that  the  Law  of  Moses,  un- 
der Avhich  this  man  lived,  forbad  nothing  but  excess  in 
eating  and  drinking.  Indeed,  it  seems  that  a  person  w^as 
authorized  by  tliat  law  to  enjoy  the  sweets  of  an  abuii- 


l'$l  HISTORY   OF    THE 

dance  which  it  promised  to  those  who  faithfully  observ- 
ed its  precepts.  "The  Lord  shall  make  thee  plenteous 
in  goods,... .in  the  fruit  of  thy  cattle,  and  in  the  fruit  of 
thy  ground,  and  in  the  fruit  of  the  land  which  the  Lord 
sw  are  unto  thy  fathers  to  give  thee,"  Deut.  xxviii.  1 1 ; 
XXX.  9.  "  If  they  obey  and  serve  liim,  they  shall  spend 
their  days  in  prosperity,  and  their  years  in  pleasures.''* 
Job  xxxvi.  11.  From  these  and  similar  promises,  it  is 
evident  the  Jews  were  led  to  expect  gi'eat  temporal 
prosperity  and  abui'dant  pleasure ;  and  therefore,  faring 
sumptuously  every  day,  might  be  considered  by  this 
man  in  the  l^ght  of  a  duty,  a:^d  not  in  that  of  a  crime. 
Bcbides,  it  is  no'  said  that  he  ate  any  kind  of  food  pro- 
hibited by  the  law ;  nor  is  he  accuf  ed  of  neglecting  any 
of  the  abstinences  or  fasts  prescribed  by  It.  His  daily 
sumptuous  fare  is  not  said  to  have  been  carried  to  any 
kind  of  excess ;  nor  to  have  ministered  to  any  species  of 
debauch.  He  is  not  accused  of  licentious  discourse,  of 
gaming,  of  frequenting  places  of  illicit  entertainment  or 
pleasure;  nor  of  speaking  one  irreverent  word  against 
divine  revelation,  nor  against  the  providence,  ordinances, 
or  people  of  God.  It  is  not  even  intimated  th'^t  he  got 
dnmk  at  his  festivities,  or  held  the  bottle  to  his  neigh- 
bour s  head  to  intoxicate  him.  In  a  Avord,  his  probity 
is  unimpeached;  nor  is  he  even  in  the  most  indirect 
manner  accused  of  any  of  those  crimes  which  pervert  the 
simple  from  the  way  of  truth,  or  injure  any  of  the  ordejs 
of  civil  society.  As  Christ  has  described  this  man,  does 
he  appear  a  monster  of  iniquity  as  some  have  represent- 
ed him  ?  JNTo.  He  is  a  comparatively  innocent  charac- 
ter. Yet  in  the  sight  of  God  he  ^s  culpable,.. ..deserves 
hell,  and  gets  it.  What  then  wei-e  his  crimes?  Why,  1st. 
He  was  rich.  2dly.  He  was  superbly  clothed  ;  and  3dly. 
He  frived  sumptuously  every  day,  i.  e.  He  sought  his 
happiness  in  this  life  ia  the  gratificatiou  of  animal  de- 


RICH    MAN    AND    THE    BEGGAR.  153 

sires.  He  made  no  provision  for  his  soul,  living  with- 
out God  in  the  world. 

Now,  as  to  most  this  does  not  appear  any  sufficient 
reason  why  a  soul  should  be  sent  to  hell,  because  they 
tliink,  that  only  the  most  profane  and  the  most  profligate 
ever  go  thither,  therefore  men  have  toiled  from  their  own 
conjectures  to  represent  the  pei*son  in  the  text  as  an  im- 
pious man ;  an  uncharitable,  hard-hearted  and  unfeeling 
wretch.  But  of  all  this,  is  there  one  word  either  spoken 
or  intimated  by  Christ  ?  Not  one.  And  I  again  assert 
it,  that  it  is  unjust,  unfair,  and  highly  dangerous  to  put 
such  meanings  on  the  word  of  God,  as  it  cannot,  and  will 
not,  by  proper  construction  bear :  and  he  that  does  it, 
does  it  to  the  peril  of  his  soul.  But  let  us  consider  the 
leading  circumstances,  and  we  shall  be  convinced  that 
our  blessed  I^ord  has  not  represented  this  man  as  a  mon- 
ster of  inhumanity ;  but  merely  as  an  indolent  man,  who 
sought  and  had  his  portion  in  this  life,  was  unconcerned 
about  another,  lived  without  piety  to  God,  and  without 
usefulness  to  man. 

When  Abraham  addressed  him,  ver.  25,  on  the  cause 
of  his  reprobation,  we  do  not  find  that  he  reproached  him 
with  an  uncharitable  disposition,  or  an  unfeeling  heart, 
though  that  would  have  been  the  most  proper  of  all  times 
to  have  done  it  in.  He  does  not  say :  Lazarus  was  hun- 
gry, and  thou  gavest  him  no  meat:  He  was  thirsty, 
and  thou  gavest  liim  no  drink,  &c.  but  he  said  simply, 
"  Son,  remember  that  tliou  didst  receive  thy  good  things 
in  thy  life-time,"  i.  e.  Thou  hast  sought  thy  consolation 
upon  earth ;  thou  hast  borne  no  cross,  mortified  no  pas- 
sion; didst  not  receive  the  salvation  God  had  provided 
for  thee ;  thou  didst  not  belong  to  tlie  people  of  God  upoa 
earth,  and  thou  canst  not  dwell  with  them  in  g\ory. 

There  are  but  few  of  those  called  Christians,  who  con- 
sider it  a  crime  to  live  without  Christ,  because  their  lives 


154  HISTORY   OF    THE 

are  not  stained  with  any  gross  transgression  of  the  moral 
law  of  theu'  Maker.  "  If  Christianity,"  says  one,  "  only 
required  men  to  live  without  outward  sin,  Paganism 
could  furnish  us  with  many  luminous  examples  of  this 
kind."  But  the  religion  of  Christ  not  only  requires  a 
conformity  in  a  man's  conduct  to  all  the  principles  of 
righteousness  and  truth ;  but  it  requires  also  holiness  in 
the  soul ;  a  heart  reconciled  to,  and  w  holly  influenced 
and  governed  by  the  spirit  of  purity  and  benevolence 
which  dwelt  in  the  Lord  Jesus. 

Having  thus  taken  a  view  of  the  causes  which  led  this 
hoiiouiable  person  to  the  place  of  torment,  the  character 
and  circumstances  of  Lazarus  must  be  distinctly  inquired 
into. 

"  There  was  a  certain  beggar  named  Lazarus,"  ver.  20. 
The  word  ^t6>x'^^>  which .  we  translate  beggar,  signi- 
fies a  poor  man ;  and  does  not  mean  beggar  in  the  com- 
mon acceptation  of  the  word ;  i.  e.  one  w  ho  goes  about 
from  door  to  door  soliciting  alms ;  such  a  person  being 
termed  eTrccinji,  among  the  Greeks. 

The  najyie  of  this  person  is  mentioned,  because  his 
character  was  good,  and  his  e«.'/ glorious ;  and  because  it 
is  the  pui*pose  of  Ood  that  the  righteous  shall  be  had  in 
everlasting  remembrance.  Lasarus  is  undoubtedly  a 
Hebrew  name ;  and  may  be  compounded  of  X*?  la,  not, 
and  ii;?  ezer,  help  ;  intimating  that  he  was  a  person  des- 
titute of  all  assistance.  But,  as  it  appears,  he  stood  high 
in  the  favour  of  God,  and  though  outwardly  destitute  of 
all  things,  yet  was  inwardly  supported  by  the  grace  and 
mercy  of  his  Maker;  it  is,  therefore,  more  likely  that 
Lazarus  here  is  a  contraction  lor  Eliezer,  nT};'Sx,  God  is 
my  help,  which  is  not  mentioned  here  without  design,  as 
it  Ptronglv  intimates  that  God  alone  is  the  succour  and 
confidence  of  the  destitute :  and  that  the  person  in  the 


RICH    MAN    AND    THE    BEGGAR.  15 J 

text  had  God  for  the  portion  of  his  soul,  even  when 
destitute  of  a  morsel  of  bread,  and  his  flesh  and  heart 
utterly  failing.  This  name,  therefore,  was  properly 
given  to  a  man  who  was  both  abjectly  poor,  and  deep- 
ly afflicted,  and  had  no  help  but  that  which  came  froiu 
heaven. 

Of  this  poor  man  it  is  said,  he  was  laid  at  the  rich 
mail's  gate,  and  he  wasjull  of  sores.     Whether  his  lack 
of  the  necessaries  of  life  were  the  cause  of  his  affliction 
by  impoverishing  the  blood  and  other  juices,*  or  whether 
his  poverty  sprung  out  of  his  affliction  by  rendering  him 
incapable  of  getting  his  bread,  is  not  intimated  in  the 
text.    His  abject  and  helpless  state  is  sufliciently  marked. 
He  wsiS  full  of  sores,  so  as  to  feel  constant  pain.     He 
could  not  even  change  his   posture   through   his   utter 
helplessness,  Avithout  the  ministry  of  others,  for  {e^eQ^^aro,) 
he  was  laid  at  the  gate  :    he  had  neither  power  to  come 
thither  himself  to  get  relief,  nor  depart  from  it  when 
weary  of  waiting.     Who  could  have  thought  that  a  man 
in  such  an  abject,  afflicted  state,  could  have  been  a  fa- 
vourite of  heaven  ?    Could  not  the  God,  who  appears  to 
have  loved  him  so  well,  have  healed  his  sores,  and  raised 
him  above  w^ant?    Undoubtedly  he  could:    But  God, 
who  knoweth  all  things,  and  knoweth  particularly  what 
is  in  man;  and  what,  in  all  possible  change  of  circum- 
stances he  will  do,  probably  knew  that  Lazarus  could 
not  be  trusted  with  either  health  or  affluence,  and  there- 
fore in  his  abundant  mercy  he  kept  him  in  a  poor  and 
afflicted  state.     Many  who  are  now  poor,  humble,  and 
pious,  were  they  to  get  into  a  state  of  affluence,  would 
Avax  proud  and  insolent,  forget  God,  and  go  at  last  to 
perdition. 

He  desired  to  he  fed  with  the  crumhs  which  fell  from 
the  rich  man's  table,  ver.  21.     He  had  no  desire  to  fare 


156  HISTORY   OF    THE 

tis  well  as  the  rich  man;  he  wished  only  to  satisfy  him- 
self with  the  fragments  whicli  w  ere  left.  Aud  there  is 
no  room  to  doubt  but  his  humble  desires  were  gratified ; 
for  there  is  not  the  smallest  intimation  that  he  was  re- 
fused, though  most  interpreters  of  this  passage  make  no 
scruple  to  assert  it.  I  feel  myself  justified  in  drawing 
tJiis  conclusion :  for,  as  we  find,  ver.  24,  tliat  the  rich 
man  debired  that  Lazarus  sliould  be  sent  to  cool  his 
tongue  with  one  drop  of  water;  it  is  to  me  a  strong  inti- 
mation, that  he  considered  him  under  some  kind  of  obli- 
gation to  him ;  for  had  he  refused  him  a  crumb  of  bread 
in  his  life-time,  it  is  not  reasonable  to  suppose  that  he 
^vould  have  requested  such  a  favoui'  from  him  now.  In- 
deed, there  is  not  the  least  evidence  in  the  text  that 
any  part  of  the  rich  man's  punishment  was  owing  to  his 
cruelty  or  haid-heartedness  towards  this  distressed  beg- 
gar. 

And  the  dogs  came  and  licked  his  sores.  Though  this 
circumstance  still  more  strongly  marks  his  abject  state, 
and  shews  that  he  w  as  really  diseased,  and  that  his  sores 
were  exposed ;  yet  it  is  certainly  intended  to  prove  that 
he  had  some  alleviation  of  his  affliction.  Among  the  an- 
cients the  tongue  of  tlie  dog,  applied  to  obstinate  ulcers, 
was  considered  a  sovereign  help :  and  therefore,  the  hea- 
thens painted  their  medical  god  Esculajtius^  as  being  al- 
ways accompanied  with  a  goat  a^nd  a  dog,  the  latter  to 
lick  the  ulcers,  and  the  former  to  w  ash  them  with  her 
milk.  Mercy  is  mingled  with  all  our  afflictions  and  dis- 
tresses. However  destitute  we  may  now  be,  Ave  might 
have  been  still  worse.  It  is  ever  in  the  pow  er  of  God  by 
the  addition  or  deduction  of  apparently  trifling  circum- 
stances, to  increase  or  alleviate  our  suflferings  and  cala- 
mities, by  almost  innumerable  degrees.  Wretched  as  tliis 
man's  state  was,  he  was  kept  alive  till  liis  work  was 


RICH    MAN   AND   THE   BEGGAR.  157 

done,  and  his  soul  completely  prepared  for  the  kingdom 
of  God ;  tliough  he  had  only  the  crumbs  for  his  food,  and 
the  dogs  for  his  physicians. 

In  process  of  time  Lazarus  is  relieved  from  his  afflic- 
tions. It  came  to  pass  that  the  beggar  died,  ver.  22.  It 
is  in  the  order  of  God's  gracious  providence  that  pover- 
ty and  affliction  destroy  their  own  influence,  by  sapping 
the  foundation  of  life.  He  who  suffers  most,  has,  in  ge- 
neral, the  shortest  time  to  suffer  in;  for  the  more  exqui- 
site the  sufferings,  and  the  more  extensive  the  privations 
of  corporeal  necessaries,  the  sooner  life  must  ebb  out; 
and  consequently  to  a  truly  pious  man  in  such  circum- 
stances, the  road  to  the  kingdom  of  heaven  is  considera- 
bly shortened.  A  hurried  passage  into  the  glory  of  God 
can  hurt  no  man.  Death  and  life  occur  in  the  same  in- 
stant. When  the  work  of  death  w^as  finished,  eternal  life 
began :  for  it  is  added.  He  was  carried  by  Angels  into 
Abrahan\!s  bosom.  Wliat  an  astonishing  change  both  in 
jilace  and  circumstances!  But  a  moment  before,  he  was 
an  ulcerated  be«^ar,  lying  at  the  rich  man's  gate !  And 
iK)w  healed  of  all  his  diseases,  and  shut  out  for  ever  from 
the  possibility  of  suffering,  he  is  safely  and  immutably 
fixed  in  the  regions  of  blessedness.  The  phrase,  Abra- 
Iiani's  bosom,  is  an  allusion  to  the  custom  at  Jewish 
feasts,  when  three  persons  reclining  on  their  left  elbows 
on  a  couch,  the  person  whose  he^d  came  near  the  breast 
of  the  other,  was  said  to  lie  in  his  bosom.  So  it  is  said 
of  the  beloved  disciple,  John  xiii.  25.  He  who  occu- 
pied the  next  place  at  such  entertainments  to  the  master 
of  the  house,  was  the  person  who  w  as  nearest  of  kin,  or 
highest  in  esteem.  The  Hebrews  conceived  Paradise  to 
be  a  place  of  spiritual  delights,  where  the  blessed  enjoy- 
ed a  continual  feast.  They  represented  Abraham  as 
head  of  the  nation,  at  the  top  of  the  table,  and  all  the 
o 


158  HISTORY   OF    tut 

children  of  his  faith  as  reclining  *vvith  him  (according  to 
the  eastern  manner,)  at  the  same  table ;  some  nearer,  and 
others  farther  off,  according  to  their  different  degiees  of 
holiness,  &c.  Lazarus,  as  his  most  beloved  son,  is  here 
placed  7iext  to  him ;  to  intimate,  that  being  fully  con- 
formed to  the  image  of  God,  he  is  raised  in  the  regions 
of  the  blessed,  to  the  highest  degrees  of  honour  and  fa- 
vour. That  by  the  bosom  of  Jhrahmn,  tZDn'^3X  Sl^  p'n 
chik  shcl  Ahraham^  or  sitting  at  table  with  him,  the  an- 
cient Jews  understood  the  future  state  of  the  blessed,  is 
sufficiently  proved  in  a  variety  of  quotations  made  from 
the  Rabbins,  by  Ligltffoot,  on  this  passage  :  and  our 
Lord  not  only  refers  to,  but  countenances  this  opinion  in 
the  following  words :  "  Many  shall  come  from  the  east 
and  west,  and  shall  sit  down  (etvet)cXt6i}(r6VTut>  literally, 
shall  sit  down  at  tabic,)  with  Abraham,  Isaac,  and  Jacob, 
in  the  kingdom  of  lieaven,"  Matt.  viii.  1 1 .  Our  Lord 
adds,  that  he  was  carried  by  Angels  to  this  place.  This 
also  was  an  opinion  uniformly  believed  by  the  Jcavs. 
Angels  were  supposed  to  attend  the  separation  of  the 
FOuls  and  bodies  of  the  just,  and  carry  them  straight  into 
the  paradise  of  God  :  by  speaking  as  he  does  here,  our 
Lord  appears  to  confirm  the  opinion :  and  St.  Paul  as- 
sures us,  that  the  angels  are  ministering  spirits,  sent  forth 
to  minister  unto  them  that  shall  be  heirs  of  salvation,  Iteb. 
i.  14;  and  the  ministration  that  he  principally  refers  to, 
is,  that  of  conducting  the  blessed  into  that  state  of  final 
salvation  of  which  they  were  become  heirs,  by  having 
been  made  children  of  God,  Gal.  iii.  6,  7.  though  it  in- 
cludes that  of  ministering  to  them  by  the  order  of  God, 
on  different  occasions  during  life. 

II.  We  are  now  come  to  consider  in  what  the  punish- 
ment of  this  Rich  Man  consisted 


RICH    MAN    AND    THE    BEGGAR.  159 

Before  punishment  can  take  place,  death  must  sepa- 
rate the  body  and  soul.  Sin  cannot  be  adequately  pu- 
nished in  this  life.  Such  punishment  would  destroy  the 
body....human  nature  in  its  present  state  could  not  en- 
dure it.  The  soul,  in  its  separate  state  can  ;  because  it 
is  immortal  and  indestructible  :  and  the  body,  after  the 
resurrection,  may ;  because,  to  make  it  a  proper  com- 
panion for  the  soul,  it  must  be  redeemed  from  all  that 
corruption  which  tends  to  dissokition,  and  be  built  up  on 
indestructible  principles.  In  a  state  oi  probation  sin  can- 
not be  punished ;  therefore  we  are  properly  imformed, 
that  the  rich  man  died,  before  any  part  of  his  punislimeut 
took  place. 

Of  the  last  days  of  this  man  no  more  is  said  than  this ; 
The  rich  man  died,  and  was  buried.  There  is  no  men- 
tion of  this  latter  circumstance  in  the  case  of  Lazafiis : 
buned  he  undoubtedly  was ;  necessity  required  this ;  but 
he  had  the  burial  of  a  pauper  ;  while  the  pomp  and  pride 
of  the  other,  no  doubt,  followed  him  to  the  tomb. 
Though  the  poor  man  died  first,  God  in  mercy  having 
abridged  his  days ;  yet  the  rich  man  died  in  his  turn. 
His  great  possessions  could  not  secure  to  him  that  life 
which  he  so  highly  prized.  He  was  obliged  to  leave  all 
behind,.. .his  house,  his  estates,  his  family,  and  social  con- 
nexions; his  animal  appetites,  w\\h  all  theii-  means  of 
gratification;  and  detested  and  detestable  funereal  ho- 
nours, the  mock  and  insult  of  human  glory,  alone  accom- 
pany him  to  the  verge  of  the  grave ;  and  these,  even  these 
bid  adieu  to  a  carcase  that  is  fallen  into  disgrace.  What 
an  awftil  change  has  Time  and  Providence  brought  about ! 
Alas !  why  could  not  Time  tarry  for  him,  who  had  lived 
for  it  alone  ?  If  useless  in  the  world,  yet  he  was  harmless^ 
only  endeavouring  to  make  himself  happy  in  the  enjoy- 
ment of  what  Providence  had  made  his  own. 


160  HISTORY   OF   THE 

.'     •     .   Eheu  fugaces,  Postume,  Postume, 
Labuntur  anni ! 


sive  reg-es 

Sive  inopes  erimus  coloni. 

Linquenda  tellus  et  domus  et  placens 
Uxor  :  neque  harum,  quas  colls,  arborum 
Te,  pr^aeter  invisas  cupi-essos, 

Ulla  brevem  dominum  sequeter.  Ho  rat. 

But  what  a  difference,  even  in  the  bunal  of  these  two 
persons.  Several  ancient  MSS.  and  Vei-sions,  as  well  as 
the  first  English  Translation,  read  the  place  thus ;  the 
rich  man  died,  and  was  buried  in  hell.*  While  his  body 
descended  into  the  grave,  his  soul  went  down  into  the 
place  of  torment.  So  that,  in  this  case  at  least,  it  was 
true,  Here  rested  the  body  of  a  damned  soul!  Reader  J 
may  the  God  of  Heaven  save  thee  from  this  place  of  tor- 
ment !  But  what  are  we  to  understand  by  liell  ?  the  place 
in  which  the  text  says  he  was  tormented.  The  word  in 
the  original  is,  A^r^q,  hades,  which  properly  signifies  a 
dark  or  obscure  place,  from  x  negative,  and  ihiv  to  see : 
Very  properly  translated  by  our  English  word  hell, 
from  the  Saxon  hflan,  to  cover  or  conceal.  Hence  hy- 
LiNG,  the  covering  or  slating  of  a  house.  It  answers  to 
the  HebrcAV  word  SlNK^  sheol,  which  among  the  ancient 
Jews,  signified  the  place  where  th^  souls  of  the  iust  and 
unjust  were  kept,  while  in  a  state  of  separation  from  the 


•  In  some  ancient  MSS.  as  well  as  in  the  Saxon  and  Vul' 
gate,  the  point  after  trec(pn,  he  was  buried,  is  lacking-,  and  the 
following  ««/,  andf  removed  and  set  before  eyrx^ui,  lifting 
up  i  so  that  the  passage  reads  thus  :  "  The  rich  man  died, 
and  was  biu-ied  in  hell :  and  lifting  up  his  eyes,  being  in  tor- 
ments, he  sawi"  &c 


RICH    MAN   AND   THE   BEGGAR.  161 

body.  The  Greeks  supposed  their  hades  to  be  a  dark, 
gloomy  place,  deep  under  the  earth,  where  ilie  souls  of 
the  righteous  and  the  wicked  were  detained,  previous  to 
their  being  sent,  the  former  to  Elysium,  and  the  latter  to 
Tartarus.  This  place,  with  all  its  appendages,  accord- 
ing to  the  heathen  mythology,  is  described  at  large  by 
Virgil,  En.  VI.  1.  268,  &c.  From  what  our  Lord  says 
of  it,  and  of  Abraham's  bosom,  we  may  undei-stand,  that 
simply  the  place  of  separate  spirits  is  intended;  where 
those  who  died  without  God,  have  a  foretaste  of  the  pu^ 
nishment  they  are  to  endure  after  the  day  of  judgment; 
and  where  those  who  die  in  the  ]3ivine  favour  enjoy  a 
foretaste  of  their  future  blessedness.  Neither  the  summit 
oi  glory,  nor  the  lUpth  o{  perdition,  are  suited  to  the  na* 
ture  of  (lis  nibodied  spirits :  when  rejoined  to  their  bo- 
dies,  the  one  is  capable  of  enduring  the  miseries,  the  other 
of  enjoying  the  happiness  of  the  eternal  world. 

Let  us  now  view  the  circumstances  of  this  man's  pu- 
nishment. Scarcely  had  he  entei-ed  the  abodes  of  mise- 
ry, when  hf  lifted  up  his  cyrs  on  high ;  and  what  must 
be  his  surprise,  who  never  dreamed  of  going  to  hell,  to 
see  himself  separvated  from  God,  and  to  feel  his  soul  tor- 
mented in  that  flame !  Neither  himself  nor  friends  ever 
expected,  that  the  way  in  which  he  walked  could  have 
led  to  such  a  perdition. 

.  In  a  general  and  collective  sense,  his  punishment  is  in- 
dicated by  his  bnn2^  in  torments.  p[is  torments  w  re  as  va- 
rious as  his  faculties  and  powers ;  and  therefore  thev  are 
spoken  of  in  the  plural  number,  Basc-ayd/?.  The  under-* 
standing,  iudofment,  will,  memory,  imagination,  and  all 
his  pissions  and  appetites,  must  be  wrecked  with  regret, 
anxiety,  felf-reproach,  fear,  terror,  anguisli,  cor^fusion, 
horror,  and  despnir!  This  was  his  ^enrral  state;  but 
what  were  the  particulars  comprized  in  it  ? 
o  2 


1:62  HISTORY   OP    THE 

1st.  He  sees  Lazarus  clothed  with  gloiy  and  immor* 
tality....This  is  the  first  cii-cumstance  in  his  punishment* 
What  a  contrast !  What  an  ardent  desire  does  he  feel 
to  resemble  him,  and  what  rage  and  despair,  because  he 
is  not  like  him !  We  may  think  it  strange,  that  the  gulf 
of  perdition  should  appear  to  have  been  in  the  vicinity 
of  Paradise;  and  that  beatified  spirits,  and  reprobate 
souls,  should  have  a  distinct  view  of  each  other;  and  to 
relieve  ourselves  from  an  embarrassment,  which  is  the  re- 
sult of  prejudice,  we  may  cry  out,  "These  things  are 
not  to  be  literally  understood ;"  but  we  must  take  care 
not  to  apply  the  attributes  and  relations  of  Time  to  the 
eternal  world ;  for  as  the  measurement  of  Time  is  lost  in 
endless  duration,  so  all  ideas  of  relative  distance  are  ab- 
sorbed and  lost  in  infinite  space.  Disembodied  spirits 
may  have  a  power  of  perception  and  discovery,  which,- 
in  this  state  of  existence,  even  our  conjectures  cannot 
reach;  and  for  aught  we  know,  their  sphere  of  vision 
may  be  extended  almost  infinitely.  If  we^  without  even 
the  assistance  of  a  telescope,  can  see  a  planet  at  nine 
hundred  millions  of  miles  distance,  or  one  of  the  fixed 
Stars,  at  a  distance  the  computation  of  which  is  almost  be- 
yond the  powers  of  arithmetic;  and  if,  when  assisted  with 
telescopes,  we  can  penetrate  some  hundreds  of  millions 
of  miles  farther,  can  it  appear  to  us  an  incredible  thing, 
that  disembodied  spirits  should  discover  each  other  ia 
the  eternal  world,  where  even  impediments  to  natural 
vision  cannot  exist  ? 

It  appeal's  then,  tlmt  reprobate  souls  can  see  the 
blessed  in  their  state  of  glorj;  and  we  may  safely 
conclude  that  this  discovery,  accompanied  with  a  con- 
victi6n,  that  they  themselves  might  have  eteraally  en- 
joyed that  felicity,  from  which  they  are  now,  through 
theii  j);vn  fault,  for  ever  excluded,  will  form  no  mean 
jari  of  the  punishment  of  the  damned.     This  appeai-s 


RICH    WAN   AND    THE    BEGGAR.  163 

to  have  been  a  first  source  of  torment  to  the   ricli 
man. 

2.  He  appears  to  have  had  the  most  ardent  desire,  ei- 
ther to  possess  good,  or  have  his  miseries  alleviated.  He 
cried  out,  and  said,  Father  Abraham,  have  mercy  upon 
me  I  There  was  a  time  in  which  he  might  have  prayed  to 
the  God  of  AbraJiam,  and  have  found  mercy :  noAv,  he 
dares  not  approach  that  God,  whom,  in  his  life-time,  he 
had  neglected;  and  he  addresses  d  creature,  who  has  nei- 
ther power  nor  authority  to  dispense  blessedness.  This 
is  the  only  instance  mentioned  in  Scripture  of  praying'  to 
Saints ;  and  to  the  confusion  of  the  false  doctrine,  that 
states  it  to  be  necessary  and  available,  let  it  be  remem- 
bered, that  it  was  practised  only  by  a  damned  soul,  and 
that  wilhoiit  any  success. 

The  cry  for  7nercy  is  proper  in  the  mouth  of  every  sin- 
ner, who  must  be  saved  by  the  mere  compassion  of  God, 
or  perish  for  ever.  A  self-righteous  man  may  so  far  im- 
pose upon  himself,  while  in  life,  as  to  imagine  he  has  de- 
served something  from  God ;  but  this  refuge  of  lies  will 
sooner  or  later  be  sv/ept  away,  and  the  doctrine  of  human 
merit  be  exploded,  even  in  the  gulf  of  perdition. 

The  rich  man  is  tormented  by  a  sight  of  the  hap- 
piness of  the  Just,  as  well  as  by  a  sense  of  his  own 
misery.  The  presence  of  a  good,  to  which  he  never  had 
any  right,  and  of  which  he  is  now  deprived,  affects 
the  wretched  less  than  the  presence  of  that  to  which  he 
had  a  right,  and  from  which  he  is  now  eternally  sepa- 
rated. Even  in  hell  a  damned  spirit  must  abhor  the  evil 
by  which  it  suffers,  as  well  as  the  evil  of  suffering,  and  de- 
sire that  good  which  AAOuld  free  it  from  its  torment.  If 
a  reprobate  soul  could  be  reconciled  to  the  anguish  of  its 
feelings,  and  tlie  horror  of  its  state,  its  punishment  would 


IW  HISTORY   OF    THE 

of  course  be  at  an  end.,..Milton  puts  a  sentiment  of  th& 
kind  in  the  mouth  of  Satan. 

"  Farewell  Remorse :  all  good  to  me  is  lost ; 
*'  Evil,  be  thou  my  good."* 

If  a  damned  spirit  can  suspend  the  influence  of  re- 
inoi-se,  receive  evil  in  the  place  of  good,  and  esteem  it  as 
such,  then  its  misery  terminates;  and  if  Satan  has  beea 
able  to  realize  what  the  poet  has  said  for  him  above,  then, 
tho  gh  Devil  damned,  he  ceases,  even  in  the  abyss  of 
perdition,  in  the  burniiig  pool,  which  spouts  cataracts  of 
fire,  he  ceases,  I  say,  to  ieel  torment !  But  all  this  is  only 
a  fliglit  of  laAvlesii  fancy ;  for  eternal  Tmth  has  said,  their 
womn  (remorse)  dieth  not,  and  the  fire  is  not  quenclied* 
An  eternal  wish  to  escape  from  evil,  and  an  infinite  de- 
sire to  be  united  to  the  Supreme  Good,  the  gratification 
of  which  is  for  ever  impossible,  must  make  a  second  cir- 
cumstance in  the  misery  of  the  lost. 

3.  The  remembrance  of  the  good  things  possessed  in 
life,  a[id  noAv  to  be  enjoyed  no  more,  together  with  the 
recollection  of  grace  offered  or  abused,  will  form  a  third 
circumstance  in  the  torments  of  the  ungodly.  "  Son,  re- 
member that,  in  thy  life-lime,  thou  didst  receive  thy  ^oorf 
things'''  It  certainly  Avas  a  very  common  opinion,  in  an- 
cient times,  that  those  who  enjoyed  much  tempoi-al  felici- 
ty, could  never  enjoy  eternal  blessedness;  and  on  the 
other  hand,  that  those  who  passed  through  much  misery 
on  earth,  should  be  compensated  with  the  ever-during  en- 
joyments of  heaven.  To  this  opinion  our  Lord  seemfe 
here  to  refer ;  and  it  is  certain  that  there  are  multitudes 

•  Paradise  Lost,  Book  IV.  1.  109. 


RICH    MAN    AND   THE    BEGGAR.  165 

of  Scriptures,  both  in  the  Old  and  New  Testaments, 
which  appear  to  speak  a  similar  language.  Earthly  pos- 
sessions are  not  less  dangerous  thmi precarious :  they  pro- 
mise much,  though  they  perform  nothing ;  yet  as  these  pro- 
mises still  keep  up  the  expectation,  and  increase  the  de- 
sire, the  soul  is  diverted  from  seeking  its  rest  in  God ;  for 
rich  men  think  they  have  reason  to  believe,  that  their 
wealth  will  secure  them  all  possible  happiness  in  this  life. 
The  poor  cannot  have  this  expectation,  as  there  is  no- 
thing to  support  it ;  therefore,  in  times  of  distress,  afflic- 
tion, and  Avant,  Jiey  are  obliged,  if  they  seek  at  all,  to 
seek  in  God,  that  happiness  which  they  find  their  cir- 
cumstances will  not  permit  them  to  expect  in  life.  As 
the  gospel  promises  innumerable  blessings  to  those  who 
believe,  they,  pressed  with  want  and  distress,  are  glad  to 
embrace  it,  Avhile  the  others  are  too  busy,  or  too  happy, 
to  obey  the  call  of  God,  or  seek  that  salvation,  the  want 
of  which  they  scarcely  ever  permit  their  souls  to  feel. 
O  !  how  deceitful  are  riches !  Ye  who  possess  them,  hold 
them  with  a  trembling  hand ;  for  all  that  you  have  receiv- 
ed, you  must  give  account  to  God.  Make  to  yourselves 
friends  of  the  mammon  of  unrighteousness.  Draw  out 
your  soul  to  the  hungry;  be,  to  the  utmost  of  your  pow- 
er, every  poor  man's  friend :  and  do  not  starve  your  owa 
souls,  and  pamper  your  flesh,  lest  you  should  once  hear, 
to  your  eternal  dismay.  Remember  that  in  your  life-time 
you  receiied  yaur  good  things. 

4.  But  privations  of  good,  and  recollection  of  past  en- 
joyments, together  with  the  earnest,  though  fruitless  de- 
sire to  escape  from  coming  evilj  and  to  enjoy  a  present 
good,  will  not  form  the  whole  of  the  punishment  of  the 
ungodly ;  for,  added  to  these,  we  find  present,  actual  tor- 
ment in  the  burning  gulf,  I  amtormentei  in  this  flame, 
ver.  24.     The  torments  which  a  lost  soul  must  cndui-e  m 


166  HISTORY    OF    THE 

a  hell  of  fire,  will  form,  through  all  eternity,  a  coatinuat 
present  source  of  indescribable  woe.  Sinnci-s  may  lose 
their  time  in  disputing  against  the  reality  of  hell-fire,  till 
awakened  to  a  sense  of  their  folly,  by  finding  themselves 
plunged  into  what  God  calls  "  the  lake  that  burns  with 
fiie  and  brimstone,"  But  let  them  consider,  that  whether 
the  words  are  to  be  taken  figuratively,  or  literally,  the 
punishment  they  point  out  is  aAvful,  horrible,  and  real,  be- 
yond tlie  power  of  language  to  describe,  or  thought 
to  reach. 

5.  Tlie  well-known  impossibility  of  ever  escaping 
from  this  place  of  torment ;  or  of  having  any  alleviation 
of  their  misery  in  it,  forms  a  fifth  circumstance  in  the 
punishment  of  ungodly  men.  But  besides  all  thk,  between 
us  and  you  there  is  a  great  gulf  fijced,  ver.  2&.  This 
is  the  most  horrible  circumstance  of  all  to  the  damned, 
that  they  never  can  be  delivered  from  this  place  of  tor- 
ment. The  sovereign  purpose  of  God,  founded  on  the 
principles  of  eternal  Reason,  separates  the  persons,  and 
consequently  the  places  of  abode,  of  tlie  righteous  and 
the  wicked;  so  that  there  can  be  no  intercourse.  They 
who  wish  to  pass  hence  to  you  cannot,  neitlier  can  they 
cross  over  who  would  come  from  you  hither.  Happy  spi- 
rits cannot  go  from  heaven  to  alleviate  the  miseries  of  the 
wretched,  nor  can  aay  of  the  wrenched  escape  from  the 
place  ot  theii*  confinement  to  enter  among  the  blessed. 
For  tliough,  from  tlie  reasons  alleged  under  the  first  ar- 
ticle, there  may  be  a  discoverj^  from  hell  of  the  Paradise 
of  the  Blessed ;  yet  there  can  be  neither  intercourse  nor 
connexion. 

On  this  circumstance  Abraham  appears  to  lay  great 
stress ;  and  therefore  he  emphatically  adds,  K.**  tyn  tati 
rovToK;,  but,  above  all  other  considerations,  this  is  the 
chief  reason,  the  grand  iirevci-sible  decision,   a  great 


RtCH    lilAN   AND   THE   BEGGAtl.  167 

gidf  is  placed  between  v$  and  you.  Ljghtfoot  has  suf- 
ficiently proved,  ill  his  Mora;  Talmudiojt,  dial  tlie  ancient 
Hebrews  believed  tliat  Paradise  and  Hell  were  so  conti- 
guous, that  the  respective  inhabitants  could  plainly  see 
each  otlier.  In  the  ancient  Greek  Mythology,  Tartarus^ 
the  place  of  punishment,  and  Elysium,  the  habitation  of 
happy  spirits,  were  represented  as  in  the  vicinity  of  each 
other,  but  separated  by  the  rivers  Cocytus  and  Phlegc- 
ikon,  in  the  latter  of  Avliich  ran  a  ceaseless  stream  of  li- 
quid fire.  The  original  word  ^etTf^cc,  signifies  literally 
an  immense  gulf  or  chasm  in  the  earth,  w  ithout  bottom, 
and  which  sw  allows  up,  and  renders  invisible,  whatever 
falls  into  it.  Some  of  the  ancients  considered  this  as  the 
place  of  torment.  Plutarch,  in  his  Treatise  on  the  Dce- 
mon  of  Socrates,  gives  a  description  of  this  place  in  the 
vision  which  Timarchus  had  at  the  cave  of  Trophonius.^ 
"Looking  downward  he  perceived  a  great  gulf  (;^eec-jM,« 
iu,eycc,  the  vei7'  words  of  the  text,)  round,  resembling  a 
sphere  cut  through ;  terrific,  horrible,  and  deep,  full  of 
thick  darkness,  not  quiet,  but  turbulent,  and  oftentimes 
belching  up ;  Avhence  might  be  heard  myriads  of  groans, 
and  roarings  of  living  creatures,  cries  of  multitudes  of 
children,  mingled  Avith  the  lamentations  of  men  and  wo- 
men, Avith  noises  and  tumults  of  all  descriptions,   &c." 

What  a  horrible  place  to  spend  an  eternity  in !  and  yet 
the  Scriptural  account  of   hell  is  far  more  terrific.     But 

*   Kar<y  ^'  UTrihvrt  (paivsT^cci  XASMA  MET  A  trr^oyyv 

'n'o?^Xov  TKOTcvi  TrXviqt^y  cv^  ViTv^cci^ovro^^  ecXX'  tx-ru^xrro- 
fA.evov  KUi  uvxKXvi^ovmt;  'TeaXXotKt^  l  «fl«v  tx,K0Vi<s-6ci(.i  ft-v^iec^  f*.ev 
a^vycc^  noil  crTivxyu.ovq  ^atifv,  f/LV^tav  ^e  x,?iXv6f^ov  (i^e<pA)v,  KXt 
fjLiy.ty f4.it ov<;  uvS'^av  xxi  yvvottKW^  e^v^fMV^,  i^o^ov^  h  -ruvrc- 

^OtTFCV^y    KCCl  Bo^vQoVi    K.   T»  A. 

Plutarch,  t).  genio  Socrat.  p.  663-  Edit.  Xyland.  1574. 


168  HISTORY   OF    THE 

as  the  term  is  here  used  to  signify  tlie  place  that  sepa- 
rates Paradise  from  perdition,  we  must  consider  it  not  only 
as  a  real  line  of  demarkation,  by  which  the  limits  of  the 
place  of  torment  and  the  place  of  blessedness  are  desig- 
nated ;  but  also  as  pointing  out  the  impossibility  of  the 
restoration  of  the  wretched,  and  the  impossibility  of  the 
lapse  of  the  blessed.  In  a  state  of  probation^  men  may 
stand  or  fall.  TiiTie  is  the  state  of  probation  to  human 
spirits  :....in  eternity  their  state  is  fixed.  Those  who  are 
faithful  unto  death,  shall  receive  the  croAvn  iliRtf adeth 
not  amay.  They  ended  their  state  of  probation  in  the 
salvation  of  God  ;  and  are  now  irreversibly  fixed  in  the 
state  of  gior5\  These  cannot  possibly  fall,  because  their 
state  of  probation,  in  which  alone  defection  was  possible, 
is  eternally  terminated.  The  others  fell  in  their  state 
of  probation,  and  rose  not  again :  therefore  they  are  con- 
signed to  an  eternal  separation  from  God  :  for  as  their 
time  of  probation  is  ended,  consequently  their  state  is  ir- 
reversibly fixed.  The  great  gulf,  says  Abraham,  cct;?- 
^ijtTeei  is  establisJied,  inade  finn  and  durable,  and  now 
there  is  no  more  hope !  It  was  the  opinion  of  Origen  of 
old,  and  has  been  the  opinion  of  many  since  his  time,  that 
the  great  gidf  would  be  abolished ;  and  that,  in  process 
of  time,  damned  spirits  should  be  emancipated  from  the 
chains  of  darkness  and  perdition.  This  opinion  was 
grounded  on  the  supposition,  that  s}tffering  tends  to  purify 
and  expiate;  that  all  punishment  is  emendatory,  and  that 
it  is  not  likely  that  God  should  punish  men  eternally  for 
those  faults  which  they  had  committed  in  time.  Leav- 
ing the  nature  of  sin  entirely  out  of  the  question,  as  well 
as  the  justice  of  God,  we  must  consider  that  the  final  se- 
paration of  an  unholy  soul  from  God,  is  a  necessary  con- 
sequence of  the  state  in  which  it  is  found.  For  as  it  is 
unholy,  it  cannot  be  united  to  God,  because  God  is  holy. 
If  tlien  it  cannot  be  united  to  Iiim^  it  must  be  separated 


RICH    MAN    AND    THE   BRGGAR.  160 

from  him ;  and  as  he  is  the  Fountain  of  happiness,  to  be 
separated  from  him  is  to  be  separated  from  happiness,  and 
consequently  to  be  in  a  state  of  misery.  The  perdition, 
therefore,  of  ungodly  souls  is  not  so  much  an  eftect  of  the  • 
vindictive  justice  of  God,  as  a  necessary  consequence  of 
the  unholy  state  in  which  they  are  found  at  their  depar- 
ture from  the  body.  If  it  be  possible  for  them  to  grow 
holy  in  hell,  of  course  they  may  at  last  be  capable  of  end- 
less union  with  God.  But  suffering  cannot  produce  such 
a  change,  because  suffering  is  an  effect  produced  by  sin ; 
and  it  is  physically  and  morally  impossible  that  an  effect 
should  destroy  the  cause  by  which  it  is  produced.  Re- 
probate souls  suffer  only  because  they  are  sinful;  and 
while  sin  remains  they  must  suffer;  and  as  suffering, 
which  is  an  effect  of  sin,  cannot  destroy  its  producing 
cause,  so  misery  must  continue,  unless  their  guilt  be  par- 
doned, and  their  nature  be  made  pure.  But  there  is  no 
dii-ect  evidence  from  SVnpfwr^  that  ever  this  will  be  done, 
and  therefore  no  solid  ground  to  support  a  sinner's  hope, 
that  he  shall  ever  be  permitted  to  cross  this  great  gulf, 
and  enter  into  the  abodes  of  the  blessed.  It  would  be 
easy  to  strengthen  these  observations  with  other  argu- 
ments, but  they  are  waived,  because  not  arising  out  of  the 
text.  We  may,  therefore,  safely  conclude,  from  the  evi- 
dence afforded  in  the  Sacred  Writings,  that  a  conscious- 
ness of  the  impossibility  of  ever  being  freed  from  the 
gulf  of  perdition,  must  form  another  circumstance  in  the 
torment  of  the  lost. 

6.  The  recollection,  that  their  bad  example  and  influ- 
ence have  perverted  others,  and  brought  them  into  the 
same  ruin  with  themselves,  must  be  a  source  of  misery  to 
the  ungodly;  for,  according  to  the  requisitions  of  justice, 
a  man  should  suffer  for  the  evil,  and  in  proportion  to  the 
evil  he  has  done  to  others.     Send  Lazarus  to  my  fatkefs 


170  HISTORY    OF    THE 

hottsCj  to  testify  unto  my  five  brethren^  that  they  cotne  not 
into  this  place  of  tonnent,  ver.  27,  28,  "A  rich  man," 
says  Father  Quesnel,  "by  leaving  his  relatives  an  ex- 
ample of  an  effeminate  and  voluptuous  life,  and  likewise 
riches  to  enable  them  to  imitate  his  example,  leaves  them 
two  means  of  damning  themselves,  and  is  punished  in  hell 
for  so  doing.  For  one  part  of  damnation  consists  in  be- 
ing exposed  to  the  reproaches  of  those  whom  we  have 
loved  in  an  improper  manner,  and  thereby  made  com- 
panions in  our  miseiy."  His  brothers  had,  no  doubt,  been 
influenced  by  his  example,  and  led  to  content  themselves 
with  an  earthly  portion,  and  thus  forget  their  immortal 
souls.  Probably  they  did  not  credit  the  soul's  immortali- 
ty, for  there  is  some  reason  to  conjecture,  that  this  rich 
man  had  been  a  Sadducee,  and  believed  neither  in  angel 
nor  spirit;  but  now  being  convinced  of  his  destructive 
mistake,  he  wished  his  brothers  to  be  informed  also ;  and 
thinks  nothing  so  likely  to  convince  2iSadducee  of  his  er- 
roneous opinions  on  this  subject,  as  the  mission  of  a  dis- 
embodied spirit  from  the  realms  of  blessedness ;  Sciid  La- 
zarus ;  for  if  one  go  to  them  from  the  dead  they  will  re- 
pent, ver.  30.  To  this  Abraham  answers.  They  have 
Moses  and  the  Prophets,  ver.  29,  which  plainly  intimates, 
they  were  all  Je7vs,  whether  Pharisees  or  Sadducees;  and 
had,  or  might  have,  the  Sacred  Writings  in  their  hands; 
but  we  find,  they  did  not  permit  Uiem  to  influence  their 
hearts,  nor  regulate  their  conduct.  Whatever  evidences 
God  may  be  pleaeed  to  give  men  of  his  will,  so  penerse 
is  the  human  heart,  they  still  seek  more... .Proofs  of  the 
truth  of  Divine  Revelation  are  furnished  in  abundance; 
but  are  proofs  to  inattention  and  obstinate  unbelief!  It  i» 
not  proofs  that  are  wanting,  but  rational  faith  to  receive 
thcni.  After  Christ  had,  in  the  most  unequivocal  and  in- 
controvertible manner,  manifested  his  eternal  poAver  by 
his  miracles,  the  Jews  came,  saying.   Master^  we  rvould 


RICH   3IAN   AND   THE   BEGGAR.  171 

uc  a  sign  from  thee.  Rational  faith  fiuds  itself  fully  sa- 
tisfied with  the  proofs  which  God  has  already  given.  In- 
fidclity  never  has  enow.  But  if  men  hearken  not  to  Mo- 
ses and  the  Prophets,  neither  would  they  be  persuaded 
though  one  came  to  them  from  the  dead,  ver.  31.  This 
assertion  of  Abraham  contains  two  remarkable  proposi- 
tions :  1st,  That  the  Sacred  Writings  contain  such  proofs 
of  a  divine  origin,  that,  though  all  the  dead  were  to  arise 
to  convince  an  unbeliever,  the  conviction  could  not  be 
greater,  nor  the  proof  more  decisive  from  such  evidence, 
given  in  the  most  unequivocal  manner,  than  that  which 
may  be  derived  from  a  careful  attention  to  the  Scripture 
itself. 

2dly,  That  in  order  to  repent  for  sin,  find  the  favour 
of  God,  escape  endless  perdition,  and  get  to  the  realms  of 
glory,  a  man  must  receive  the  testimonies  of  God,  and 
walk  according  to  their  dictates.  And  from  these  two 
points  the  siifficieacy  and  perfection  of  the  Sacred  Wri- 
tings must  be,  and  have  often  been  demonstrated. 

What  influence  could  the  personal  appearance  of  a  spi- 
rit have  on  an  unbelieving  and  corrupted  heart  ?  None, 
except  to  terrify  it  for  the  moment,  and  afterwards 
to  leave  it  innumerable  reasons  for  uncertainty  and 
doubt.  On  this  subject  an  eminent  Philosopher  and  Di- 
vine thus  speaks.  "  Were  God  to  evoke  any  of  the  dead 
from  the  other  world,  it  is  demonstrable  that  infidels 
could  not  receive  any  additional  conviction  from  even 
this  new  mode  of  proof.  This  is  no  paradox;  and  one 
decisive  proof  of  its  truth  is,  that  such  an  apparition 
would  require  a  whole  series  of  principles  and  conse- 
quences to  render  it  credible.  It  would  be  liable  to  dif- 
ficulties more  numerous  and  more  powerful  than  those 
which  can  be  urged  against  Revelation.  It  would  be  first 
necessary  to  prove,  that  the  person  who  professed  to  see 


172  HISTORY   OF   THE 

this  spirit  was  in  his  right  mind ;  for  it  might  be  considei'- 
ed  as  the  effect  of  a  disordered  brain.  It  would  be  ne- 
cessary to  examine,  whether  that  object  came  really 
from  the  other  world,  or  whetlier  it  were  not  an  imposi- 
tion practised  for  the  purpose,  by  the  knavery  of  some 
head  of  tlie  party,  whose  interest  it  was  to  keep  up  the 
deception.  But  supposing  that  this  were  no  illusion,  it 
would  be  necessary  to  examine,  whether  this  spirit  were 
really  sent  by  the  Lord,  or  whether  it  did  not  come 
from  the  enemy  of  our  souls,  to  entrap  our  innocence,  and 
raise  scruples  in  our  minds,  under  pretence  of  leading  us 
into  the  truth.  Lastly,  allowing  the  apparition  to  be 
real,  we  should  inquire  whether  it  be  not  an  effect  of 
God's  judgment,  who,  as  a  punishment  for  our  obstinacy 
and  disobedience,  may  permit  a  strong  delusion  to  induce 
us  to  believe  a  lie.  These,  and  a  thousand  other  quea- 
lions,  of  a  similar  nature,  might  arise  on  the  subject, 
which  would  require  more  time,  labour,  and  talents,  sa- 
tisfactorily to  answer,  than  most  men  are  capable  of  be- 
stowing. Kow  true,  then,  is  the  saying,  "  If  they  hear 
not  Moses  and  the  Prophets,  neither  would  they  be  per- 
suaded though  one  rose  from  the  dead."* 

Christ  caused  this  to  be  exemplified  in  the  most  literal 
manner,  by  raising  Lazarus  from  the  dead.  And  did 
ihis  convince  the  obstinate  and  unbelieving  Jews  ?  No. 
Why  ?  Were  not  the  evidences  clear  enough,  and  the  cir- 
cumstances sufficiently  attested  ?  They  were  incontrover- 
tibly  SO:  and  yet  so  far  were  the  Jews  from  believing, 
that  they  became  more  enraged ;  and  from  that  hour  con- 
spired against  the  life  both  of  Lazarus  and  Christ ! 

After  all,  many  are  desirous  of  seeing  an  inhabitant  of 
the  other  world,   or   they  wish   to   converse  with   one 


SxTrRiN.     Sur  la  Siiffisance  de  la  Revelation- 


RICH    MAN    AND   THE   BEGGAR.  173 

to  know  what  passes  there.  Curiosity  and  infidelity  are 
as  insatiable  as  they  are  unreasonable.  Here,  however, 
God  steps  out  of  the  common  way  to  indulge  them* 
You  wish  to  see  a  disembodied  spirit  ?....]VI'Akc  way  !.... 
Here  is  a  damned  soul,  which  Christ  has  evoked  from  the 
hell  of  fire!  Hear  him!  Hear  him  tell  of  his  torments! 
Hear  him  utter  his  anguish!  Listen  to  the  sighs  and 
groans  Avhich  are  wrung  from  his  soul  by  the  tortures  he 
endures !  Hear  him  asking  for  a  drop  of  water  to  cool  his 
burning  tongue !  Telling  you  that  he  is  tonnented  in  that 
flame ;  and  warning  you  to  repent,  that  you  come  not  in- 
to that  place  of  torture !  How  solemn  is  this  warning ! 
How  awful  this  voice !...."  But  where  is  he?....WE  can- 
not see  him !"  It  is  true,  you  cannot  see  him :  God  in 
his  mercy  has  spared  you  this  punishment  for  the  present. 
How  could  you  bear  the  sight  of  this  damned  spirit? 
Your  strength  would  be  dissolved,  and  your  nature  fail 
at  the  appearance.  To  alarm,  to  convince,  and  to  save 
you  if  possible,  the  merciful  Christ  keeps  him,  as  it  were, 
behind  the  veil,  and  holds  a  conversation  with  him 
in  your  hearing  :....a  conversation  which  you  liave  neither 
faith  nor  courage  sufficient  to  hold  with  him  yourselves". . . . 
And  now  that  this  awful  conversation  is  ended,  permit 
me  to  reassert,  that  if  you  hear  not  Moses  and  the  Prophets, 
Christ  and  his  Apostles,  you  will  not  be  persuaded  even  by 
the  heart-rending  and  soul-appaling  accents  of  this  repro- 
bate spirit,  who  has  spokeato  you  from  among  the  dead. 
From  what  has  been  said,  we  may  draw  the  folIoAving 
inferences :....!.  The  poor  and  the  rich  meet  together,  and 
God  is  the  Maker  of  both  •  it  is  as  much  through  the  ap- 
pointment of  his  wise  and  gracious  Providence  that  one 
man  is  deprived  of  the  necessaries  of  life,  as  it  is  that  ano- 
ther enjoys  affluence.  He  who  has  assigned  the  bounds^ 
of  tlieir  habitation  has  also  dcterniined  the  proportion  of 
earthly  good  which  each  shall  enjoy.  The  poor  is  ia  the 
p  2 


174  HISXORY   OF   THE 

State  best  for  him;  the  rich  is  wlicre  lie  may  have 
every  opportunity  of  saving  his  soul,  and  honouring  God 
with  Iiis  substance.  If  each  improve  the  advantages  of 
his  situation,  the  result  will  be  his  own  eternal  liappincss, 
and  God's  glory. 

2.  That  the  end  of  all  things  is  at  Jiand:  the  end  of  all 
the  temporal  evil  endured  by  the  godly ;  and  the  end  of 
all  the  temporal  good  possessed  by  the  wicked.  The  rich 
need  not  exult  in  his  possessions,  for  he  shall  soon  leave 
them :  and  the  poor  need  not  raui-mur  because  of  his  af- 
flictions, for  they  shall  soon  terminate.  Every  state  is 
sanctified  to  a  man,  if  he  devote  himself  to  God  in  it; 
and  then  all  occurrences  shall  work  together  for  his  good* 

3.  That  riches  generally  are  a  snare :  not  necessarily 
so  in  themselves,  but  because  men  are  so  prone  to  rest  sa- 
tisfied with  earthly  good,  and  to  forget  their  souls,  while 
it  is  in  their  power  to  gratify  their  sensual  appetites. 
Therefore,  he  who  possesses  them  should  hold  them 
with  a  trembling  hand,  and  live  under  the  constant  influ- 
ence of  self-denial,  lest  the  portion  God  has  given  him 
in  life  be  all  the  good  he  is  to  receive  to  all  eternity. 
Men  often,  by  their  perversity  and  attachment  to  sensible 
.things,  provoke  Divine  Justice  to  poison  their  enjoyments, 
and  to  curse  their  blessings. 

4.  That  theij  who  life  in  pleasure  are  dead  while  tliey 
live  ;  a  voluptuous  life  is  not  only  unfriendly  to  the  in- 
terests of  the  soul,  but  absolutely  precludes  the  possibility 
of  salvation.  Had  tl)e  rich  man  in  the  text  not  indulged 
his  appetite  by  his  daily  sumptuous  fare,  his  stupid  soul 
might  have  at  last  hungered  and  thirsted  after  righteous- 
nci^s,  and  been  eternally  satisfied  with  God  as  its  por- 
tion. 


RICH    MAN   AND    THE  BEGGAR.  175 

5.  That  however  innocently  a  man  may  have  lived 
here  below,  he  cannot  expect  to  be  saved,  if  he  have  not 
made  God  his  portion^  and  been  useful  in  his  generation  : 
the  rich  man  is  tormented  in  yonder  flames,  not  because 
he  was  a  monster  of  iniquity,  for  even  the  Judge  of  quick 
and  dead  lays  not  this  to  his  charge ;  but  because  he  liv- 
ed a  godless^  useless  life.  He  received  a  large  portion 
of  God's  property,  a  sufficiency  of  which  was  allotted  to 
himself,  and  the  rest  was  entrusted  to  him  for  the  benefit 
of  the  poor;  but  in  faring  sumptuously  every  day,  he 
neglected  to  make  himself  friends  of  the  mammon  of  un- 
righteousness ;  and  when  he  would  have  done  it,  it  was 
out  of  his  power.  Let  no  man,  therefore,  neglect  to  do 
good,  while  it  is  in  the  power  of  his  hand  to  do  it. 

6»  He  that  humhleth  himself  shall  he  exalted;  and  he 
that  exalteth  himself  shall  he  abased:  the  afflicted  pious 
beggar  is  raised  from  the  dunghill,  and  set  ,among  the 
Princes  of  God's  people ;  while  the  ungodly  rich  nan  is 
thrust  down  into  hell.  How  true  is  the  saying,  "  Riches 
-profit  not  in  the  day  of  wrath !" 

7.  That  when  a  man  dies,  his  state  is  irrevei-sibly 
fixed ;  and  as  no  man  knows  Avhat  a  moment  may  bring 
forth,  all  should  prepare  to  meet  theii-  God.  The  means  of 
salvation  are  in  every  man's  power  :....they  have  Moses 
and  the  Prophets,  Christ  and  the  Apostles,  let  them  hear 
them.  The  general  voice  is,  He  who  confesseth  and  for- 
saketh  his  sin  shall  find  mercy :  he  who  believeth  on  the 
Lord  Jesus  Christ  shall  not  perish,  but  have  everlasting 
life ;  but  he  that  believeth  not  shall  perish. 

Reader !  Death  approaches,  Eteniity  is  at  hand,  and 
the  Judge  is  at  the  door !  Thou  shalt  speedily  be  num- 
bered with  the  dead !  Hast  thou  forsaken  thy  sin,  and  rcr 
pented  of  thine  iniquity  ?  Hast  thou  found  redemption  in 


176  HISTORY   OF   THE  RICH   MAN,   &C. 

the  blood  of  the  New  Covenant  ?  Can  thy  heart  rejoice 
in  hope  of  the  glory  of  God  ?  Art  thou  a  lover  of  money  ? 
of  dress,  high  living,  and  worldly  honoui-s  ?  then  the  love 
of  the  Father  is  not  in  thee ;  and  if  thou  die  in  this  state, 
because  thou  hast  neglected  a  gi-eat  salvation;  because 
God  is  just,  and  thou  art  guilty  ;  because  he  is  pure^  and 
thou  art  unholy ;  and  because  no  human  spirit  can  ever 
find  happiness  but  in  union  with  God,  the  Fountain  of  it, 
£nd  thou  art  unfit  for  that  union,  because  unlike  thy  Ma- 
ker; therefore,  thou  must  perish !.... But  thou  hast  yet  a 
little  time  :....thy  day  of  probation  is  not  yet  ended  :.... 
thou  art  still  within  the  reach  of  the  utmost  salvation  of 
God:.. ..Hear  the  groans  of  this  damned  soul,  and  be 
alarmed !  Hear  the  merciful  voice  of  the  Lord  Jesus,  and 
be  encouraged.  Cast  aside  thy  sins,  come  unto  him,  and 
believe  on  his  name,  and  thou  shalt  not  perish,  but  have 
everlasting  life ! 

Manchester,  Nxw.  27,  1803,. 


A 

NARRATIVE 

OF   THE 

LAST  ILLNESS  AND  DEATtt 

RICHARD  PORSON5  A.  M. 

PROFESSOR    OF    GREEK  IN  THE    UNI- 
VERSITY OF  CAMBRIDGE, 

FORMERLY 

TELLOW  OP  TRINITY  COLLEGE,  AND  PRINCIPAL 
LIBRARIAN  TO  THE  LONDON  INSTITUTION; 

WITH   A 

FAC  SIMILE  OF  AN  ANCIENT  GREEBl 
INSCRIPTION, 

WHICH  WAS  THE  CHIEF  SUBJECT  OF  HIS  LAST 
LITERARY   CONVERSATION. 

BY  ADAM  CLARKE,  LL.  D. 

PRINCIPAL    LIBRARIAN    TO    THE    SURRY    INSTITUTION, 

AND 

AUTHOR  OF  THE  COMMENTARY  ON  THE  HOLY  BIBLE. 


PiND.  Pyth.  X. 

Jit  ingenium  ingens 

Inculto  latet  sub  hoc  corpore. Hor.  Sat.  iii. 

Multis  Hie  quidemJlebUis  occidit Hor. 


NEW-YORK: 

PUBLISHED  BY  E.  SARGEANT,  AND  GRIFFIN  AND  RUDD  ; 
AND  J.  F.  WATSON,  PHILADELPHIA. 

Paul  and  Thomas^  Printers. 


1812. 


^*-^f^i^ 


ADVERTISEMENT. 


Several  causes  have  concurred  to  induce  me  to  lay 
this  memorial  before  the  friends  and  literary  acquaint- 
ances of  the  late  Professor  For  son.  l5f,  My  high  esteem 
for  him  as  a  scholar,  2d,  The  desire  of  several  of  his 
and  my  own  friends,  who  heard  of  my  interview  with  him, 
to  neither  of  whom  I  could  refuse  any  reasonable  request, 
3d,  The  incorrect,  not  to  say  false  and  uncandid  ac- 
counts handed  ahoui  in  different  daily  publications  ;  and 
Ath,  Because  his  last  conversation  was  with  me  alone,  and 
^/i€  principal  subject  of  it,  the  annexed  Greek  Inscription, 
in  my  possession  only. 

For  the  circumstances  immediately  preceding  and  sub- 
sequent to  kis  apoplectic  seizure,  I  have  been  indebted  to 
different  sources  of  authentic  information ;  hit  am  chiefly 
obliged  to  Mr.  Savage,  Clerk  to  the  London  Institution  ; 
a  gentletnan  whose  good  sense  enabled  him  to  form  a  cor- 
rect judgment  on  the  different  incidents  which  fell  under 
his  notice ;  and  whose  esteem  and  affection  for  the  Pro- 
fessor, led  him  to  interest  himself  in  the  tenderest  man- 
ner in  every  thing  that  concerned  him,  and  especially  at 
the  momentous  period  of  widch  these  pages  treat.  As  to 
the  conversation  between  the  Professor  and  myself,  I  hope 
I  may  say  that  it  is  literally  correct,  as  I  wrote  it  down 


180  ADVERTISEMENT. 

carefully  a  short  time  after  it  took  place.  It  is  of  no 
inean  consequence  to  have  even  the  last  scintillations  of 
so  eminent  a  genius  preserved.  To  none  therefore  of  his 
friends,  can  even  this  imperfect  account  he  destitute  of 
interest. 

ADAM  CLARKE. 
^URRY  Institution, 
Oc/oicr  25,  T808. 


■'^M^ 


A  NARRATIVE,  ^c. 


OjN"  Monday,  Sept.  19,  130S,  about  one  o'clock,  V.  INL 
the  late  Professor  Porson  left  the  house  of  tlie  London 
Institution  in  the  Old  Jewry,  Avhere  he  resided,  and  of 
which  he  was  the  principal  Librarian,  and  proceeded  to  • 
his  brother-in-laAv's,  Mr.  Perry,  in  the  Strand,  wliere  he 
arrived  at  about  half  past  one.  Not  finding  Mr.  Perry 
at  home,  he  proceeded  farther,  and  was  shortly  after 
seized  in  the  street  with  an  apoplectic  fit,  which  totally 
deprived  him  of  the  use  of  his  speech,  his  senses,  and  alt 
voluntaiy  motion.  As  his  person  was  utterly  unknown  to 
those  who  first  found  him  in  that  state,  and  as  there  was 
nothing  even  in  his  pocket-book  which  could  lead  those 
strangers  to  find  out  who  he  was,  they  carried  him  to  a 
contiguous  watch-house,  Avhere  he  lay  for  some  time,  but 
as  no  one  happened  to  come  that  way  who  could  identify 
his  person,  he  Aras  carried  to  the  w  ork-house  in  Castle- 
street,  St.  Martin's-lane,  where  medical  assistance  was 
immediately  administered.  As  he  had  the  mfsfortune  to 
be  wholly  unknown  here  also,  it  was  thought  most  ad- 
visable to  send  a  correct  description  of  his  pei-sou  to  some 
of  the  morning  papers,  that  his  friends  might  be  apprized 
of  his  situation.  Accordingly  tlie  following  description 
was  sent  to  the  British  Press,  Tuesday,  September  20. 
"Yesterday  about  two  o'clock  a  gentleman  was  ibund 
senseless  in  the  street,  and  conveyed  by  one  of  the  bea- 
dles of  the  parish  to  St.  Martin's  watcli-house,  and  from 
a 


182  THE   LAST   ILLNESS   AND   DEATH 

thence  to  the  work-house,  where  he  remained  in  the  same 
state  at  a  late  hour  last  night.  He  had  a  gold  watch  in 
his  pocket,  a  trifling  quantity  of  silver,  and  a  memoran- 
dum-book, the  leaves  of  which  were  fdled  chiefly  with 
Greek  lines  \\ritten  with  a  pencil,  and  partly  effaced ; 
two  or  three  lines  of  Latin,  and  an  algebraical  calculation. 
The  Greek  extracts  were  principally  from  ancient  medi- 
cal works.  It  is  hoped  this  description  will  be  the  means 
of  his  being  traced  by  his  friends.  He  is  a  tall  man,  ap- 
parently about  forty-five  years  of  age,  and  dressed  in  a 
blue  coat  with  black  breeches." 

On  the  arrival  of  the  paper  in  the  morning  at  the 
news-room  of  the  Institution,  the  account  was  first  seen 
by  Mr.  Savage,  who  knowing  that  Mr.  Porson  had  not 
slept  at  home  the  preceding  evening,  which  was  rather 
an  unusual  case,  was  convinced  from  the  description  that 
he  must  be  the  person  intended.  Mr.  Savage  immediately 
proceeded  to  St.  Martin's-lane,  where  he  found  the  Pro- 
fessor, a  little  recovered  and  feebly  Avalking  about  in  the 
room.  It  may  be  naturally  supposed  that,  especially  in 
such  circumstances,  he  was  highly  pleased  to  see  a  per- 
son at  whose  table  he  had  long  boarded,  and  with  whom 
he  had  lived  upwards  of  two  yeai-s  in  the  habits  of 
friendship.  After  a  few  words  exchanged,  chiefly  in  re- 
lation to  the  state  of  his  health,  Mr.  Savage  proposed  to 
call  a  coach,  but  this  the  Professoj;  would  not  permit; 
therefore  at  his  express  desire,  they  Avalked  across  the 
Ring's  Mews  to  Charing-cross,  where  they  took  one,  and 
drove  towards  the  house  of  the  London  Institution.  On 
the  way,  he  began  to  lament  the  loss  of  lives  and  of  pro- 
perty which  had  taken  place  that  morning  in  the  burning 
dow  n  of  Covent-garden  Theatre  and  several  adjoining  hou- 
.ses;  and  afterMards,  referring  to  his  late  seizure  in  the 
street,  he  congratulated  himself  on  falling  into  the  hands 
of  honest  men,  and  particularly  observed,  how  fortunate 


OP    PROFESSOR    PORSON.  183 

he  was  in  not  having  had  his  gold  watch  taken  from  him. 
During  their  passage  along  the  Strand  and  down  Fleet- 
street,  he  conversed  in  his  usual  pleasant  and  instructive 
manner,  without  affording  the  smallest  evidence  that  his 
mental  faculties  had  sustained  any  serious  damage  by  his 
late  seizure.  Indeed  he  appeared,  from  Mr.  Savage's 
account,  to  have  tlie  whole  compass  of  his  mind  in  ac- 
tion, so  that  lie  could  notice  every  occurrence,  and  make 
it  a  subject  of  instruction  and  entertainment.  He  gave 
full  proof  of  this  on  approaching  St.  Paul's;  when  with 
great  feeling  he  mentioned  the  case  of  Sir  Christopher 
Wren,  the  architect  of  that  magnificent  pile,  and  "  de- 
plored the  ill  treatment  he  had  received  in  the  latter 
part  of  his  life ;"  thence  taking  occasion  to  observe,  "  that 
even  in  our  own  days,  when  literature  and  usefulness 
could  be  better  estimated,  the  public  was  too  apt  to  neg- 
lect modest  unassuming  merit."  I  mention  these  things 
the  more  parilcularly,  because  T  wish  lo  counteract  a 
false  statement  which  has  gained  considerable  currency, 
viz.  that  he  had  no  return  of  the  proper  exercise  of  his 
reason  from  the  time  of  his  seizure  in  the  Street ;  and  that 
his  intellects  had  been  much  impaired  even  a  considera- 
ble time  before  that  period.  That  his  prodigious  memo- 
ry had  failed  a  little  for  some  months  past,  I  had  myself 
noticed;  and  spoken  of  it  with  regret  to  some  of  ray 
friends :  but  neither  then,  nor  at  the  time  of  w^hich  I  am 
now  writing,  could  any  other  symptom  of  mental  decay 
be  discerned.  Wliat  follows  will  probably  appear  a 
sufficient  proof  that  he  was  not  only  in  possession  of  his 
ordinary  faculties,  but  that  his  critical  powei-s  were  vigor- 
ous, and  capable  of  embracing  and  discerning  the  nicest 
distinctions. 

About  a  quarter  past  Nine,  they  reached  the  house  of 
the  Institution,  and  he  appeared  then  to  be  considerably 
fatigued,  and  his  strength  greatly  prostrated,  so  that  he 


184  THE   LAST    ILLNESS   AND    DKATH 

walked  up  stairs  with  much  diificulty.  Mrs.  Savage 
having  requested  his  permission  to  prepare  him  some 
breakfast,  he  consented,  and  drank  two  cups  of  gieen  tea, 
which  he  always  preferred,  and  ate  two  small  pieces  of 
toast,  and  soon  after  walked  down  into  the  library  of  the 
Institution. 

Having  that  morning  occasion  to  call  at  the  Institu- 
tion, to  consult  an  edition  of  a  work  to  which  the  coui-se 
of  my  reading  had  obliged  me  to  refer,  on  returning  from 
one  of  the  inner  rooms,  I  found  that  since  my  entrance, 
Mr.  Porson  had  v/alked  into  that  room  through  which  I 
had  just  before  passed ;  I  went  up  to  him,  shook  hands, 
and  seeing  him  look  extremely  ill,  and  not  knoAving  what 
had  lately  happened,  I  expressed  both  my  surprise  and 
regret.  He  then  drew  near  to  the  window,  and  began  in 
a  low,  tremulous,  inteiTupted  voice,  to  account  for  his 
present  appearance ;  but  his  speech  was  so  much  affected 
that  1  found  it  difricuU  to  underBtand  what  he  said.  He 
proceeded,  however,  to  give  me,  as  well  as  he  could,  an 
account  of  his  late  seizure,  and  two  or  three  times  with 
particular  emphasis,  said,  "  I  have  just  escaped  death.".... 

When  he  had  finished  his  account  of  the  apoplectic  fit, 
into  which  he  had  lately  fallen,  and  on  which  he  seemed 
unwilling  to  dwell,  except  merely  to  satisfy  my  inquiries ; 
he  suddenly  turned  the  conversation,  by  saying,  "Dr. 
Clarke,  you  once  promised,  but  probably  you  have  for- 
gotten, to  let  me  see  the  Stone  with  the  Greek  Inscrip- 
tion, which  was  brought  from  Eleusis."  I  replied,  I  have 
not.  Sir,  forgotten  my  promise,  but  I  am  now  getting  a/ttc 
.simile  of  the  Stone  and  Inscription  engraved,  and  hope 
soon  to  have  the  pleasure  of  presenting  you  with  an  ac- 
curate copy.  To  which  he  answered,  "I  thank  you; 
but  I  should  rather  see  the  Stone  itself.''*  I  said,  then, 
Sir,  you  shall  see  it :  when  will  you  be  most  at  leisure, 
and  I  shall  wait  upon  you  at  the  Institution,  and  biing 


OF    PROFESSOR    PORSON.  185 

the  Stone  with  me.  Will  to-morrow  do  ?  After  consider- 
ing a  little,  he  said,  "  On  Thursday  morning,  about  Ele- 
ven o'clock  ;  for  at  that  time  of  the  day  I  am  generally  in 
the  Library  in  my  official  capacity."  This  time  Avas  ac- 
cordingly fixed,  though  from  his  present  appearance  I  had 
small  hopes  of  being  gratified  with  that  luminous  criticism 
with  Avhich,  I  well  knew,  }ie  could  illustrate  and  dignify 
even  this  small  relique  of  Grecian  antiquity. 

It  may  be  necessary  here  to  state,  that,  about  twelve 
months  ago,  when  this  stone  came  into  my  possession,  (see 
the  subsequent  account,)  I  took  a  copy  one  morning  of  the^ 
inscription  to  the  Institution  to  shew  it  to  the  Professor :.... 
He  was  not  up,  but  one  of  the  sub-librarians  carried  it  to 
his  room  :  he  looked  at,  and  was  much  pleased  with  it,  "as 
affording  a  very  fair  specimen  of  the  Greek  character,  af- 
ter the  time  that  Greece  fell  under  the  power  of  the  Ro- 
mans. For  it  was  evident,"  he  said,  "  that  the  inscriptioa 
was  not  prior  to  that  period."  Some  days  afterwards  I  met 
him  in  the  library  of  the  Institution ;  and  he  surprised 
me  by  saying,  "  I  can  shew  you  a  printed  copy  of  tlie  in- 
scription, on  your  stone."  He  then  led  me  up  stairs  to 
his  study,  and  taking  down  Meursius's  Thescm,  shewed 
me  in  the  tract  De  Pagis  Atticis,  at  tlffe  end,  the  very  in- 
scription which  had  been  taken  down  from  the  stone  then- 
at  Eleusis,  by  Dr.  Spon,  in  1676!  From  this  time  he 
wished  particularly  to  see  it,  as  by  it,  the  existence  of  the 
village  Besa,  and  the  proper  method  of  writing  it  with  a 
single  s,  (to  distinguish  it  frcwn  a  village  called  Bissa  in 
Locris)  was  confirmed :  and  he  considered  the  character 
to  be  curious.  This  gratification,  both  to  himself  and 
me,  was  denied,  as  I  had  little  time,  except  pretty  early  iii 
the  morning,  and  then  I  could  never  find  him  in  the  way. 

But,  to  return  from  this  digi-ession..  After  having  fixed 
Thursday  morning  to  wait  upon  him  with  the  stone,  I  ap- 
proached the  table,  and  took  up  the  4to  editioo  cf  Dr. 
a  2 


188        THE  LAST  ILLNESS  AND  DEATH 

Shaw's  Travels,  and  unfolding  the  plate  containing  the  Li- 
thostroton  Pal(estrimt?n*  said,  I  wish  just  to  look  at  the 
title  of  this  plate,  as  I  have  got  a  copy  of  it  collated  Avith 
that  in  Montfaucon,  engraved  for  a  work  which  I  am  just 
now  about  to  publish.  Whether  this  part  of  Dr.  Shaw's 
work  had  ever  attracted  his  notice  before,  I  cannot  tell ; 
but  seeing  several  words  in  the  uncial  Greek  character y 
interspersed  through  the  plate,  he  appeared  particularly 
struck  with  the  name  of  an  animal  of  the  Lutra  specie?, 
there  denominated  ENHYAPIS,  where  the  v  eta,  evident- 
ly serves  as  an  aspirate  to  the  v  vpsilon ;  and  imme- 
diately observed,  "If  this  be  authentic,  here  is  an  addi- 
tional proof  that  the  jj  eta  was  anciently  used  and  pro- 
'  nounced  as  we  do  our  H."  I  replied  it  certainly  was ; 
and  as  to  the  authenticity  of  the  Promcstine  Pavement^ 
I  believed  it  could  not  reasonably  be  called  in  questiou.f 


*  The  Lithostroton  Palcestrinutriy  is  a  Mosaic  pavement  found 
in  the  Temple  of  Fortune,  in  the  ancient  Palestrine,  now  Pre- 
nestCf  in  Italy.  We  have  the  testimony  of  Pliny  that  this  sort 
of  pavement  was  begun  under  Sylla :  and  that  this  in  question, 
was  made  by  his  direction :  Lithostrata,  says  he,  cxptavere 
jam  sub  Sjllot  par'^lis  certe  crustis,  extat  hodieque  quod  in  For- 
tuna  delubro  Prceneste  fecit.  Hist.  Nat.  lib.  xxxvi.  c.  25.  Mont- 
faucon has  described  this  particularly  in  the  Supplement  to 
his  Antiquity  expliqu^Cy  vol.  iv.  p.  149,  Sec.  ..Dr.  Shaw  has  co- 
pied him,  and  has  added  some  further  illustrations  A  con- 
nected account,  with  a  complete  outline  of  the  plate,  will  be 
found  in  the  new  edition  of  Hanner''s  Observations  on  Select 
Passages  of  Scripture.  Pi  scneste  is  about  twenty-one  miles 
from  Rome,  but  tlie  pavement  has  been  taken  up  and  deposit- 
€d  in  the  palace  of  the  Barberini  for  greater  security. 

f  On  mentioning  this  conversation  to  a  very  ingenious  and 
learned  gentleman,  the  Rev.  Mr.  Jolm  Jones,  author  of  the 
Greek  Grammar,  &,c.  he  said,  Ihe  "  Professor  is  certainly 
right ;  such  letters  were  formerly  aspirates,  as  they  derived 


OF    PROFESSOR    PORSON.  187 

He  seemed  to  wish  to  converse  further  on  the  subject, 
though  his  speech  was  jrreatly  afTected,  so  that  he  was  a 
long  time  betore  he  could  complete  a  sentence,  not  only 


their  origin  from  the  strong  gutturals^  which  the  Greeks  bor- 
rowed from  the  Oriental  tongues  ;  and  hence  the  origin  of  the 
much  disputed  Jleolic  I)igamma''....Of  this  he  gave  me  the 
following  curious  tlieory,  which,  though  only  remotely  con- 
nected with  the  subject  of  these  pages,  the  learned  reader 
will  not  be  displeased  to  find  here. 

*  This  letter,  called  JJigamma,  because  it  has  tlie  form  of 
two  gammas  one  upon  another,  like  our  capital  F,  and  Jleolic^ 
because  erroneously  supposed  to  belong  exclusively  to  the 
Aeolic  dialect,  is  borrowed  by  the  ancient  Greeks  from  the 
Oriental  tongues.  In  these  languages,  gutturals  abounded, 
which,  Uke  other  consonants,  contained  in  themselves  the  vowel 
necessary  to  their  pronunciation.  But  it  is  the  tendency  of 
every  guttural  when  become  habitual,  to  soften  down  in  the 
rapidity  of  utterance,  into  a  mere  aspirate.  Thus  x"!^''^* 
earthy  degenerated  into  humusy  and  the  Latin  comu,  into  the 
English  horn.  Thus  also  the  Hebrew  'H  (;^'  chi)  which  sig- 
nifies lifey  souly  selfy  appeared  in  Greek  in  the  form  of  oy  0/  or  e. 
Moreover  13D  kabad,  liver y  gave  birth  to  'j>5raT-«5.  This 
word  retains  an  unquestionable  mark  of  its  derivation :  for  it 
has  the  form  of  13D  kabad,  or  133  kabar;  and  this  variation 
has  been  transfused  into  Greek,  'riTrct^  and  'j)5r<«T-05.  Hence 
we  obtain  the  origin  of  the  aspirate  placed  over  a  vowel.  It 
was  originally  a  guttural,  which  losing  its  power  as  a  conso- 
nant, leaves  the  included  vowel  behind  with  an  inverted  com- 
ma above,  to  perpetuate  that  part  of  the  letter  which  fell  into 
disuse. 

*  The  gutturai  when  softened  into  an  aspirate  is  apt  to  be 
dilated  into  a  long  vowel.  Hence  the  reason  why  aj  eta  in  the 
ancient  Greek  seems  to  have  been  accompanied  with  an  aspi- 
rate, as  in  'jjTflt^,  though  formerly  as  in  the  ENHTi::iPI2,  on 
the  Prsenestine  Pavement,  it  expressed  the  full  power  of  H,^ 
as  Professor  Porson  has  remarked...  But  farther.  On  the  same 
principle  that  a  guttural  softens  into  an  aspirate^  the  aspirate 
melts  often  into  a  gentle  breathingy  or  becomes  in  pronuncia- 


183  THE    LAST    ILLNESS   AND    DEATH 

because  of  the  paralytic  affection  of  all  the  organs  of 
speech,  but  also  through  extreme  debility,  and  the  drj^- 
ness  of  the  tongue  and  fauces,  his  lips  being  parched  so 


tion  quite  quiescent^  as  the  Latin  honor  and  honestus,  become 
in  Eng-lish  honour  and  honest.  On  the  same  principle  too,  gk 
become  silent  in  our  tongue,  as  in  taugkty  s-oiight.  So  in  the 
Greek,  the  Oriental  (^Is^  khaan  a  king^  has  degenerated  into 
eevnTra,  which  Homer  pronounced  (Pxvxftw.  This  leads 
me  to  remark,  that  the  aspirate  instead  of  vanishing  was 
changed  into  a  labial  letter,  w,  v,  b,  f,  or  <p.  Thus  laugh^ 
cough,  which  are  still  strong  guttural  sounds  among  our  nor- 
tliern  neighbours,  are  sounded  laff,  caff,  among  us.  Thus 
also  In  Greek,  what  was  written  X'*^'*''''^^')  was  pronounced 
<pc*.votT(r6)  J  and  the  words  ov  oi  e,  were  sounded  rjou,  u'oj',  u'c» 

*  But  the  Digamm.a  did  not  always  originate  in  a  guttural,- 
but  sometimes  in  consonants  alUed  to  our  tj  or  y.  Thus  from 
>T  yido  Hebrew,  is  derived  the  Greek  et^tv,  to  in&iv,  whicli  is 
sounded  in  Homer  wzVo,  because  the  original  is  yido,  hence 
the  Latin  Hjideo.  So  again  from  |V  yin  Hebrew,  is  taken  o/vof 
ivincy  sounded  u^oinos,  hence  vinmn  and  ixine. 

*  Again  the  Arabs,  in  one  of  their  conjugations,  use  the 
servile  3  iva,  to  augment  the  sense  of  the  verb  modified  by 
it.  This  augmentative  has  been  borrowed  by  the  Greeks  un  - 
der  the  character  of  0  (which  is  the  Persian  mode  of  sounding 
y  lufl,)  and  inserted  by  them  in  the  middle  of  words  ;  that  is 
before  «",  of  the  first  declension,  and  ^vvfof  the  present  parti- 
ciple :  as  Xxi^-xtroavri^  pronounced  lamfietovonti,  or  lainpetO' 
•uonti  ;  and  i^ovo-xcov  pronounced  tnousaxvonf  or  ')nousa'Don. 

*  From  this  account  it  follows,  that  the  Digamma  did  not 
belong,  as  Dr.  JientUy  and  others  supposed,  to  the  ^leolic  dia- 
lect only,  but  to  all  the  dialects  of  Greece  in  their  more  an- 
cient mode  of  pronunciation.  It  follows  also  that  the  univer- 
sal opinion  of  the  learned,  who  say  that  the  Digamma  at  first 
prevailed,  and  was  afterwards  succeeded  by  the  aspirate,  is 
the  reverse  of  the  truth.  For  the  true  state  of  the  case  is,  that 
gutturals  at  first  prevailed,  these  softened  into  mere  aspirates  ; 


OF    PROFESSOR    PORSON.  189 

as  almost  to  resemble  a  cinder.  Though  I  wished  to 
hear  liis  remarks,  yet  feeling  a  desire  to  save  him  from 
the  great  pain  he  appeared  to  have  in  speaking,  I  would 


and  these  again  were  changed  for  a  more  easy  and  agreeable 
letter,  which  being  simply  a  labialy  was  diversified  by  ditfer- 
ent  people  into  7,  «w,  v,  <p,  b,  ovf. 

*  Bat  the  Digamma,'  it  will  be  said,  *  is  to  be  found  only 
in  Homer,  by  far  the  most  ancient  writer  of  Greece,  while  the 
aspirate  is  in  all  the  more  recent  authors.*  The  answer  is 
this :  The  use  of  the  aspirate  obtained  in  the  "written  language, 
and  was  therefore  less  susceptible  of  corruption.  On  the  other 
hand,  that  of  the  Digannna  prevailed  in  pronu7iciation,  which 
was  more  liable  to  change,  and  to  deviate  from  the  original 
terms.  Homer,  we  may  naturally  suppose,  adopted  the  Jirst, 
in  composing  and  loriiing  his  poems,  and  the  last  in  reciting 
them  to  the  people.  The  turitten  form,  we  may  presume,  was 
at  first  used  but  little,  but  prevailed  by  degrees ;  while  the 
peculiarities  oi  pronunciation  in  their  turn  began  to  decline. 
The  language  as  written  by  Homer,  at  length  hec&me  fashion- 
able in  the  conversation  of  polished  people  :  and  the  aspirate 
being  tims  triumpliant  in  the  daily  converse  of  learned  men, 
would  of  course  in  their  writings  triumph  over  oral  and  tem- 
porary corruptions. 

*  The  change  of  a  guttural  into  an  aspirate^  or  into  a  long 
voivelf  or  into  a  labial  letter,  called  the  Digamma,  is  not  pe- 
culiar to  any  one  language,  but  is  founded  in  the  structure  of 
the  organs  of  speech  ;  and  instances  of  it  prevail  in  all  tongues, 
both  ancient  and  modern. 

*  The  preservation  of  the  aspirate  in  the  written  poems  of 
Homer,  while  tlie  JJigamma  was  used  in  reciting  them,  is  a 
proof  that  Homer  did  actually  use  a  written  language,  and 
that  his  works  were  preserved  by  a  written  language  ;  other- 
wise tlie  aspirate  would  have  been  lost,  and  the  Digamtna 
alone  would  have  prevailed  in  all  the  Greek  authors  who  fol- 
lowed. If  an  editor  of  Hwmer  in  modern  days,  would  insert  the 
Digamma,  he  would  corrupt  the  original  orthography  of  Ho- 
mer, and  substitute  in  tlie  room  of  the  original  characters,  the 
corruption  of  pronunciation^ 


190  THE   LAST    ILLNESS   AND   DEATH 

have  withdrawn,  but  felt  rekictant  on  account  of  his  ap^ 
pearing  pleased  with  my  visit.  I  endeavoured  therefore  to 
change  the  conversation,  in  order  to  divert  him  as  much  as 
possible  from  feeling  the  necessity  of  any  mental  exertion ; 
and  taking  occasion  from  the  remark  he  had  made  on  tlie 
power  of  the  jj  in  the  ENHYAPIS,  I  observed,  that  I  had 
noticed  a  very  curious  peculiarity  in  the  formation  of  an 
armga  on  my  Eleusinian  Stone ;  it  resembles,  said  I,  a 
kappa  lying  on  its  left  perpendicular  limb,  with  a  semi- 
circle drawai  between  the  two  arms  on  the  left,  thus  yy^ 
making  the  form  with  my  pen  on  a  piece  of  paper.  I 
then  asked  him,  if  he  had  ever  noticed  this  form  of  the 
omega  in  any  ancient  inscription  ?  He  said,  "  No :  but 
it  may  serve  to  form  a  system  from  :"  and  then  began  to 
relate  with  considerable  pleasantry,  the  story  of  the  cri- 
tic, w  ho  having  found  some  peculiarity  in  writing  one  of 
the  tenses  of  the  verb  y^cc(pa^  made  an  entire  new  person 
of  it !  I  said,  I  wish  the  system-makers,  especially  in  lite* 
rature,  would  have  done,  as  they  are  continually  per- 
plexing and  retarding  science,  and  embarrassing  one  ano- 
ther. To  this  he  answered ;  "  Your  wish  is  the  wish  of 
all,  and  yet  each  in  his  turn  will  produce  his  system ;  but 
you  recollect  those  lines  in  the  Greek  Anthology : 

Asyovcri  -jtruvrt^,  xcti  yctfMvr?tM  e/J^oTf^."* 

As  soon  as  he  had  repeated  these  lines,  which  he  did  con- 
sidering his  circumstances,  with  a  readiness  that  surpris- 
ed me;  he  proceeded,  as  was  his  general  custom  when  he 


*  All  acknowledge  that  the  married  state  is  continually  agi- 
tated with  storms  and  tempests ;  and  yet,  though  they  know 
this,  they  nevertheless  all  get  married. 


€F    PROFESSOR    PORSON*  191 

quoted  any  author  in  the  learned  languages,  to  give  a 
translation  of  wliat  he  had  quoted.  This  was  a  peculiar 
delicacy  in  his  character.  He  could  not  bear  to  see  a 
man  confounded,  (unless  he  knew  him  to  be  a  pedant;) 
and  theretbre,  though  he  might  presume  that  the  person 
to  whom  he  spoke  undei*stood  the  language,  yet,  because 
it  might  possibly  be  otherwise,  and  the  man  leel  embar- 
rassed on  the  occasion,  he  ahvays  paid  him  the  compli- 
ment of  beiug  acquainted  Avith  the  subject,  and  saved 
him  il'  ignorant,  from  confusion,  by  translating  it.  This, 
however,  in  the  above  case,  cost  him  extreme  pain,  as  he 
was  some  minutes  in  expressing  its  meaning,  which  asto- 
nished me  the  more,  because,  notwithstanding  his  debility, 
and  the  paralysis  under  which  the  organs  of  speech  la- 
bouied,  he  had  so  shortly  before  quoted  the  original  in  a 
few  secondsy  and  with  comparatively  little  hesitation! 
The  truth  is,  so  imbued  was  his  mind  with  Grecian  lite- 
rature, that  he  thought^  as  Avell  as  spoke  in  that  language ; 
and  found  it  much  more  easy  at  this  time,  from  the  pow- 
er of  habit  and  association,  to  pronounce  Greek,  than  to 
pronounce  his  mother  tongue ! 

Seeing  him  so  very  ill  and  Areak,  I  thought  it  best  to 
withdraw;  and  having  shook  hands  with  him,  (which 
alas !  was  the  last  time  I  w^as  to  have  that  satisfaction,) 
and  with  a  pained  heart  earnestly  wishing  him  a  speedy 
restoration  to  health,  I  Avalked  out  of  the  room,  promising 
to  visit  him,  if  possible,  on  Thursday  morning,  with  the 
Greek  Inscription.  He  accompanied  me  to  the  head  of 
the  great  stair-case,  making  some  remarks  on  his  indispo- 
sition, which  I  did  not  distinctly  hear ;  and  then  leaning 
over  the  balustrades,  he  continued  speaking  to  me  till  I 
w^as  more  than  half  w  ay  down  the  stairs.  When  nearly 
at  the  bottom,  I  looked  up  and  saw  him  still  leaning  over 
the  balustrades ;  I  stopped  a  moment,  as  if  to  take  a  last 
view  of  a  man  to  whose  emdition  and  astonishing  critical 


192  THE   LAST   ILLNESS   AND   DEATH 

acumen  my  mind  had  ever  bowed  Avith  becoming  reve- 
rence :  and  then  said,  Sir,  I  am  truly  sorry  to  see  you  so 
low.  To  which  he  answered,  '-I  have  had  a  narrow  es- 
cape irom  death."  And  then  leaving  the  stair-head,  he 
returned  tOAvards  the  library.. ..This  was  the  last  con- 
versation he  w  as  ever  capable  of  holding  on  any  sub- 
ject....On  matters  of  religion,  except  in  a  critical  way,  he 
was,  I  believe,  never  foiAvard  to  converse.  I  should  have 
been  glad  to  have  known  his  ^iews  at  this  solenm  time ; 
but  as  there  were  some  gentlemen  present,  the  place  and 
lime  were  improper. 

Mr.  Savage  states,  that  after  having  parted  with  me  at 
the  stair-head,  he  Avent  up  into  his  own  room,  and  again 
coming  down  stairs,  apparently  going  out,-^  Mrs.  Savage 
observing  it,  entreated  him  not  to  leave  the  liouse, 
as  he  appeared  so  much  indisposed;  adding,  "that  she 
would  provide  him  for  dinner  any  thing  he  might  pre- 
fer." To  this  advice  he  seemed  for  a  little  to  consent, 
but.  fancying  himself,  as  Mr.  S.  supposed,  to  be  under 
some  restraint,  to  convince  himself  of  the  contrary,  he 
walked  out.  At  this  time,  it  appears  that  his  understand- 
ing became  considerably  aflected.  He  proceeded  from 
the  Institution  to  Cole's  Coflee-house,  Cornhill,  where  he 
arrived  about  five  o'clock,  and  w  as  so  greatly  exhausted 
that  he  must  have  fallen,  had  he  not  caught  hold  of  the 
brass  rod  of  one  of  the  boxes.  He  Avas  instantly  noticed 
by  a  gentleman,  Mr.  J.  F.  Leigh,  who  had  frequently  di- 
ned with  him  at  the  same  place,  and  Avho  has  obliged  me 
Avith  the  following  particulars...  A  chair  being gi\Tn  him, 
he  sat  down  and  stared  around  Avith  a  vacant  and  ghastly 
countenance ;  Mr.  L.  addressing  him,  asked  hoAv  he  Avas, 
but  he  did  not  recollect  him.  and  gaA^e  no  ansAver.  He 
tlien  invited  him  to  have  dinner,  but  this  he  refused.  He 
asked  him  to  have  a  glass  of  wine,  this  he  also  declined ; 
but  on  Mr.  Leigh's  assuring  him  that  it  Avould  serve  to 


OF   PROFESSOR   PORSON.  193 

revive  him,  he  smiled,  and  said,  "  Do  you  think  it  will  ?'* 
and  then  drank  about  one  half  of  it,  giving  back  the  glass 
to  Mr.  L.  again,  which  he  appeared  scarcely  able  to 
hold.  Previously  to  this  from  his  coming  into  the  Cof- 
fee-house, his  head  lay  down  on  his  breast,  and  he  was 
continually  muttering  something,  but  in  so  low  and  indis- 
tinct a  tone,  as  not  to  be  audible ;  but  after  taking  the 
wine  he  seemed  a  little  revived,  and  was  able  to  hold  his 
head  more  erect.  Mr.  L.  then  pressed  him  much  to  have 
some  dinner,  but  he  declined  it,  shaking  his  head.  As  he 
appeared  to  be  much  exhausted  and  very  cold,  Mr.  L. 
ordered  a  jelly  to  be  put  in  a  wine  glass  of  warm  water, 
with  a  very  little  brandy  in  it,  and  begged  him  to  drink 
it :  he  refused  at  first,  but  on  Mr.  Leigh's  entreaties,  and 
assuring  him  it  would  do  him  much  good,  he  took  the 
tumbler,  drank  about  two  spoonfuls  of  it,  and  returned  the 
glass.  He  seemed  now  considerably  roused,  but  Avould 
make  no  answer  to  several  questions  addressed  to  him  by 
Mr.  L.  except  these  words,  which  he  repeated  probably 
twenty  times,  "  The  gentleman  said  it  was  a  ludicrous 
piece  of  business,  and  I  think  so  too."  These  words  he 
uttered  in  so  low  a  tone,  that  Mr.  L.  was  obliged  to  put 
liis  ear  nearly  to  his  mouth  in  order  to  hear  them.  "  Not 
thinking,"  says  Mr.  L.  "  that  a  Coffee-house  Avas  a  pro- 
per place  to  Avitness  the  Avreck  of  so  great  a  mind,  I  or- 
dered a  coach  to  be  brought  to  take  him  to  the  Institu- 
tion."....He  refused  for  some  time  to  go  into  the  coach, 
but  at  last  Avas  helped  in  by  the  landlord;  and  tlie  av alter 
accompanied  him  home.  When  they  came  to  the  Old 
Jewry,  the  waiter  asked  him  Avhere  they  should  stop  ?  he 
then  put  his  head  out  of  the  windoAr,  and  Avaved  Avith 
his  hand  when  they  came  opposite  to  the  door  of  the  In- 
stitution. The  waiter  says  that,  previous  to  this,  he  ap- 
peared quite  senseless  all  the  way,  and  did  not  utter 
a  word.    How  quick  tlic  transition  from  the  highest  de- 


194  THE   LAST   ILLNESS   AND   DEATH 

grees  of  intellect  to  the  lowest  apprehensions  of  sense ! 
On  -what  a  precarious  tenure  does  frail  humanity  hold 
even  its  choicest  and  most  necessary  gifts !  Where  then  is 
boasting  ?  It  is  excluded.  IiiAnite  wisdom  alone,  is  sub- 
ject neither  to  change  nor  decay. 

On  his  aiTival,  Mr.  Savage  observing  that  he  looked 
much  worse,  and  that  he  could  not  articulate  any  word 
plainly,  ran  off  to  Mr.  Surgeon  Norris,  one  of  the  Pro- 
fessor's most  intimate  friends,  who  coming  immediately, 
and  finding  him  alarmingly  ill,  with  great  difficulty  per- 
suaded him  to  permit  himself  to  be  undressed  and  put  to 
bed.  Mr.  Perry,  his  brother-in-law,  was  immediately 
sent  for,  who  that  evening  visited  him,  and  felt  for  him 
then  and  to  the  last,  w  ith  a  solicitude  which  the  tenderest 
friendship  alone  could  excite.  Dr.  Babington  was  also 
called  in,  but  even  his  skill  was  in  vain.  "  The  effects," 
says  one  who  was  present,  "of  medical  exertion  served 
to  infuse  a  portion  of  stimulus  into  the  almost  exhausted 
powers  of  nature ;  but  every  new  attempt  to  revive,  only 
brought  on  its  succeeding  share  of  increasing  debility." 

On  Friday  morning,  Sept.  23,  I  called  at  the  Institu- 
tion, and  had  the  pleasure  to  hear,  that  he  was  then  more 
recollected  than  he  had  been  at  any  time  since  Tuesday 
evening.  I  went  into  his  room,  and  on  Mr.  Savage  say- 
ing, "  Dr.  C.  is  come  to  see  you.  Sir,"  I  dre^v  close  to 
his  bedside,  and  asked  him  how  he  did  ?  He  fixed  his 
eyes  on  me  at  first  with  a  wild  and  vacant  stare,  and 
seemed  to  labour  to  recollect  me.  At  last  he  recognized 
me,  but  was  too  much  exhausted  to  speak,  though  he  ap- 
peared comparatively  sensible.  Mr.  Savage  then  com- 
ing close  to  him,  said,  Mr.  Porson,  }  our  head  does  not 
lie  comfortably,  I  must  alter  it  a  little :  to  which  he  re- 
plied, "  It  is  of  no  consequence." 

He  continued  sinking  till  Sunday  morning  the  25th, 
when  even  his  friends  were  obliged  to  relinquish  all 


OF    PROFESSOR    PORSON. 


195 


hopes  of  his  recovery :  it  was  then  too  plainly  seen,  that 
he  could  not  possibly  survive  the  ensuing  night.  This 
anticipation  of  his  dissolution  was  too  fully  verified ;  for 
on  Sunday  night,  exactly  as  the  clock  struck  twelve,  with 
a  profound  groan,  unaccompanied  with  any  struggle,  he 
breathed  his  last.  Thus  untimely  fell,  in  the  49th  year 
of  his  age,  Mr.  Richard  Porson,  a  prodigy  of  intellect, 
learning,  and  memory,  such  as  probably,  cannot  be  paral- 
leled in  Europe  at  this  day. 

By  the  advice  of  h's  friends,  it  was  judged  expedient 
to  open  the  body.  Accordingly,  on  Tuesday  morning, 
Sept.  27th,  Dr.  Babington,  Sir  William  Blizard,  Mr. 
NoiTis,  Mr.  T.  Blizard,  and  Mr.  Upton,  apothecary  of 
Coleman-street,  (who  attended  the  Professor  during  his 
illness  with  all  the  solicitude  and  anxiety  of  friendship) 
attended  for  that  purpose ;  and  then-  report,  signed  with 
their  own  names,  was  handed  about  among  the  Profes- 
sor's principal  friends;  the  substance  of  which,  as  the 
newspapers  state,  is  as  follows,  for  I  have  not  been  able 
to  see  the  original  .....The  heart  was  sounds  and  the  peri- 
cardium contained  the  usual  quantity  of  lymph :  the  left 
lung  had  adhesions  to  the  pleura,  and  bore  the  marks  of 
former  inflammation,  [probably  occasioned  by  an  impost- 
hume  that  vid&  supposed  to  have  been  formed  on  his  lungs 
when  he  Mas  a  student  at  Eton  School :]  the  right  lung 
was  in  a  perfectly  soimd  state.  On,  and  in  the  brain, 
they  found  a  quafitily  of  effused  lymph,  the  effect  of  recent 
inflammation,  to  which  they  ascribed  the  cause  of  his  death. 
It  may  surprise  many  to  find,  from  the  medical  report, 
that  a  person  who  had  lived  so  freely  as  Mr.  Professor 
Porson,  should  have  had  viscera  in  such  a  sound  and 
healthy  state,  especially  as  he  had  long  been  greatly  af- 
flicted with  a  Spasmodic  Asthma ;  but  this  healthy  state 
of  the  viscera  may  be  attributed  to  his  general  abstinence 
from  ardent  spirits,  which  I  am  assured  he  rarely  diaok, 


1#0  THE   LAST   ILLNESS   AND   DEATH 

and  scarcely  ever  to  excess.  Two  widely  contradictory 
reports  relative  to  his  skull,  have  been  circulated  among 
the  public.  One,  that  it  was  uncmiimonly  thick:  the 
ether,  that  it  was  as  thin  as  paper  ;  both  these  accounts 
are  equally  false.  On  examination,  I  believe,  it  was 
found  much  like  those  of  other  men.  It  was,  however, 
oddly  stated  in  one  of  the  public  papers,  that  his  skull 
was  thinner  than  usual,  and  of  a  hard  consistence;  and 
this  statement  has  been  as  strangely  attributed  to  gentle- 
men, whose  profession  certainly  qualifies  them  both  to 
discern  accurately,  and  describe  correctly;  but  the  sub- 
ject, be  it  as  it  may,  is  of  little  importance. 

Mr.  Savage,  who  has  obliged  me  with  several  facts 
relative  to  the  last  days  of  this  great  man,  concludes  his 
account  in  the  following  words : 

"  In  communicating  these  facts  relative  to  the  illness 
of  Mr.  Person,  I  cannot  let  this  opportunity  escape  me, 
our  olTicial  situations  bringing  us  a  good  deal  together, 
without  being  allowed  to  lament  in  common  with  his  best 
and  most  intimate  friends,  the  loss  of  so  pleasant  and 
agreeable  an  acquaintance.  For,  to  the  manners  of  a 
gentleman,  and  the  most  gigantic  powers  of  learning  and 
criticism,  he  joined  the  inoffensiveness  of  a  child:  and 
I  cannot  help  wishing  that  some  persons  who  have  (with 
no  common  industry,  especially  since  his  decease,)  been 
active  in  bringing  his  faults  before  the  world,  had  been 
endowed  with  a  small  portion  of  some  of  his  good  quali- 
ties, one  of  which  among  many  others,  was,  never  to  speak 
evil  of  the  moral  character  of  any  man.^^ 

On  the  subject  of  the  Professor's  moral  and  literary 
character,  my  plan  prohibits  me  from  going  into  particu- 
lars. As  a  simple  narrative  of  the  last  week  of  this  emi- 
licnt  man's  life,  including  the  last  literary  conversation 
lie  held,  ascertained  in  my  mind  the  limits  of  these  pages, 
therCi^oyc,  any  detailed  accowit  of  his  virtues  and  failings, 


OP   PROFESSOR   PORSOK.  197 

could  not  make  a  part  of  this  outline  :  justice,  however, 
requues  me  to  say,  in  concluding,  that  tlie  luminous  disk 
of  this  vast  Sun  of  Science  and  Literature  was  often  par- 
tially obscured  by  spots,  which  all  his  fiiends  and  ac- 
quaintance saw  and  deplored ;  and  Avhich  the  most  par- 
tial to  his  person  and  memory,  will  not  attempt  to  deny. 

That  he  possessed  many  excellent,  and  some  rare  moral 
qualities,  those  who  were  most  intimately  acquainted 
with  him,  well  know.  By  these  and  his  literature,  posterity 
may  reap  profit :  to  expose  his  failings  can  gratify  no  be- 
nevolent mind ;  let  tbeni  find  a  common  covering  with  his 
mortal  remains:  He  alone  who  is  infinitely  just,  and  at 
the  same  time  merciful,  fills  the  judgment-seat. 

There  was  not  a  man  of  his  acquaintance,  I  think  I  may 
safely  assert,  who  reverenced  Professor  Porson  more  than 
I  did :  every  production  of  his  pen,  and  every  conversa- 
tion I  had  with  him^  only  served  to  deepen  the  convic- 
tion in  my  mind,  that  he  was  the  greatest  scholar  of  his 
day.  At  the  same  time,  I  deplored  his  irregular  mode 
of  living  as  tending^  to  injure  a  constitution  already  sunk 
low  by  liis  obstinate  asthma,  and  to  deprive  tlie  world  of 
much  of  the  benefit  which  it  might  have  otherwise  deri- 
ved, fix)m  a  pi-opcr  use  of  his  vast  talents  and  erudition.^ 
Even  by  his  comparatively  partial  exertions,  the  Repub- 
lic of  Letters  has  been  enriched  and  dignified :  and  from 
his  papei^s  many  invaluable  remains  may  be  expected*. 
As  a  scholar  his  name  is  imperishable,  and  his  shadow 
will  be  extended  to  the  latest  revolutions  of  time.. 

To  draw  his  character  requires  a  mind  similar  to  his 
own:  I  shall  therefore  leave  this  task  to  his  biographers ; 
and  heartily  wish  they  may  be  of  a  class  widely  differing 
from  those  who  have  already  come  forward  through  the 
medium  of  the  public  papers.  From  such,  a  very  few 
excepted,  may  heaven  fopefend  botli  religion,  and  the 
Professor's  fame ! 

R  2- 


198  THE   LAST   ILLNESS   AND   DEATH 

The  following  short  Character^  taken  frofin  a  Cam- 
bridge paper,  will  doubtless  be  acceptable  to  most  of 
the  readers  of  this  Narrative, 

"Died  on  Sunday  night,  at  his  apartments  in  the  Old 
Jewry,  Richard  Porson,  M.  A.  of  Trinity  College,  and 
Greek  Professor,  in  the  University  of   Cambridge.. ..To 
the  departed  names  of  Bentley,  Dawes,  and  Marklandy 
whose  classical  acquirements  so  eminently  maintained  the 
reputation  of  this  University,  we  must  now  add,  Avith 
heartfelt  regiet,  the  name  of  this  admirable  scholar.     In 
rariety  of  information,  in  depth  of  learning,  he   fully 
equalled  his  great  master  Bentley ;  while  in  critical  acu- 
men he  far  outstripped  him.     In  the  happiness  and  saga- 
city of  his  conjectural  emendations,  the  Professor  had  no 
equal.     His  letters  to  Archdeacon  Travis,  display  the 
keenness  and  accuracy  of  his  researches;  and  were  con- 
sidered by  an  able  judge  as  the  first  critical  productions 
since  the  memorable  controversy  concerning  the  Epistle 
of  Phalaris.     Considering  his  great  acquirements,  it  may 
perhaps  be  said  that  he  has  not  left  much  by  which  poste- 
rity may  judge  him ;  but  what  was  said  of  Cotes  is  equally 
true  of  the  Professor :  "  Pauca  quidem....sed  egregia,  sed 
admiranda !"   Every  lover  of  Grecian  literature,  every 
real  scholar,  will  appreciate  the  laboui's  of  Porson,  not 
by  their  number,  but  by  their  magnitude.     In  the  fe>¥^ 
plays  of  Euripides,  which  he  edited,  they  will  feel  and 
acknowledge  the  unshaken  excellencies  of  the  canons  he 
has  introduced ;  they  will  perceive  what  is  necessary  to 
the  formation  of  a  true  and  genuine  critic ;  and  they  will 
unite   in   deploring,  that   a  better  portion  of  vigorous 
health  was  not  allotted  to  one,  from  whom  alone  they 
could  expect  a  solution  of  eveiy  difficulty  in  tlie  pi-ogress 
of  their  classical  researches." 


OF   PROFESSOR   PORSON.  199 

By  the  kindoess  of  Chailes  Bulter,  Esq.  I  am  favour- 
ed with  an  Algebraical  Problem,  written  by  Professor 
Porson,  a  few  days  before  his  death.  It  appears  to  be 
the  same  with  that  in  his  memorandum-book,  mentioned 
page  182,  as  the  Professor  wrote  it  down  from  that  me- 
morandum-book at  Mr.  Butler's  request. 

xy  +  2u  =     444 

xs   -^  yu  =     180 

xu  -{-  ys  =s     156 

xyzu  =  5184 

From  a  conversation  he  had  at  this  time  with  Mr.  But- 
ler, it  appears  he  had  meditated  a  neAV  edition  o(  the 
Arithmetica  oiDiophantus  ;  and  some  further  worK  on  the 
disputed  text,  1  John  v.  7.  as  he  found  that  the  Argument 
in  favour  of  its  authenticity,  drawn  from  the  Confession 
of  Faith  delivered  by  the  African  Clergy  iu  484,  to 
Hunuerie,  king  of  the  Goths,  had  not  in  the  opinion  at 
many,  yet  got  a  satisfactory  answer. 


SOME  ACCOUNT 


ANCIENT  INSCRIPTION^ 

FOUND    AT    ELEUSIS, 

MENTIONED    PAGE    184, 

Sometime  in  the  year  1807,  a  gentleman,  survey- 
ing some  old  buildings,  in  JN^orth -green,  Worship-street, 
observed  a  piece  of  marble,  with  certain  letters  on  it, 
forming  a  part  of  the  pavement  of  a  back-kitchen.  His 
curiosity  led  him  to  look  at  it  more  naiTowly,  and  finding 
that  it  had  a  Greek  inscription  on  it,  he  asked  the  person 
wlio  was  the  present  tenant,  to  pei-mit  him  to  take  it  up, 
and  he  would  put  one  in  its  place  that  would  answer  the 
purpose  much  better ;  for  they  had  used  this  stone  to  chop 
wood  on,  it  being  the  most  solid  pai't  of  their  pavement ; 
in  consequence  of  which,  it  Avas  broken  nearly  across  the 
middle,  as  appears  In  the  Fae  Simile....Though  his  re- 
quest was  not  then  granted,  the  stone  was  taken  up,  and 
sent  to  him  die  next  day,  and  he  pr(?sented  it  to  me. 

It  has  already  been  noticed  that  Meursius,  who  has 
borrowed  his  tract  De  Pagis  Atticis  from  Span,  (whiclh 
he  has  inserted  at  the  conclusion  of  his  Theseus^  4to. 
1684.)  gives  p.  10,  of  that  ti-act,  the  veiy  inscription 
which  appears  on  this  stone.  On  having  recourse  to  the 
work  of  Spon,  entitled,  Voyage  iVItalie  de  Daltnatie  (le 
Grece  &  du  Levant,  fait  es  annees  1673  &  1676,  par 
Jacob  Spon,  Docteur,  &c.  &  George  Wheeler,  gcntil- 
bomme  Angiois :  a'Lyon,  1678,  4  tom.  12mo»we  find  that 


ANCIENT   INSCRIPTION.  201 

in  1676,  the  learned  author  saw  this  stone  at  Eleusis;  for 
in  vol.  iii.  p.  102,  he  gives  the  inscription  in  modern 
Greek  characters,  which  in  the  orthography  and  colloca- 
tion of  words  is  exactly  the  same  as  it  appears  in  the  Fac 
Simile,  and  of  course  in  the  original ;  and  accompanies  it 
with  a  note,  which  it  appears,  from  the  conversation 
mentioned  p.  185,  Professor  Porson  had  seen;  for  what 
book  had  he  not  seen  and  read  ?  Spon's  note  is  as  follows ; 
*'Bisa  de  la  tribu  Antiochide.  Elle  se  doit  ecrire  avcc 
une  S  simple,  pour  la  distinguer  de  Bissa  de  Locride, 
comme  le  remai-que  Strabon,  auquel  les  Inscriptions  sont 
conformes." 

In  confirmation  of  the  existence  of  this  village,  and  the 
proper  mode  of  orthography,  Spon  in  the  first  place  give» 
the  following  inscription  : 

.  .  . NOT  ... 
STPATONIKH 

TOIN   ©EOIN 
AHMHTPIOS. 

And  next  follows  the  Inscription  represented  on  the 
annexed  Fac  Simile. 

He  mentions  the  same  village  in  vol.  ii.  p.  205.  and 
gives  another  inscription  which  he  found  at  Athens,  which 
bears  a  very  striking  resemblance  to  that  on  the  Eleusi- 
nian  Stone,  and  Avhich  appears  to  designate  the  person 
Avhose  statue  is  upon  the  Pedestal  from  which  the  inscripr 
tion  is  taken.     The  Inscription  is  the  following : 

^  I A  o  n  A  n  n  o  s  E  n  I  *  A  N  o  r  s 

BHSAIEYS. 

Spon  considers  this  as  a  monument  erected  to  the 
honour  of  the  Roman  Consul  Caius  Julius  AQtiochu5 


202  ANCIENT   INSCRIPTION 

Philopappus.     The  statue  of  the  Consul  is  sitting  in  a 
niche,  at  the  feet  of  w  hich  is  found  the  above  Inscription. 

Professor  Porson  observed  that  the  inscription  found 
on  the  Eleusinian  Stone,  Avas  posterior  to  the  subjugation 
of  Greece  by  the  Romans ;  this,  the  mixture  of  the  Ro- 
man with  the  Greek  names  pi-oves :  Tiberius  and  Clau- 
dius are  Roman;  Thcophilus  and  ThemistocUs  are 
Greek ;  some  generations  had  passed  since  the  mixture  of 
those  names,  for  Tiberius  Claudius,  Avho  is  also  called 
Thcophilus,  from  his  Greek  extraction,  is  the  son  of  Ti- 
berius Claudius,  who  is  also  called  ThemistocUs,  either 
from  his  father,  or  some  other  Greek  ancestor. 

But  the  name  Tiberius  Claiidius  presumptively  proves 
that  the  stone  was  not  engraved  prior  to  the  reigns  of  the 
Emperors  Tiberius  and  Claudius;  and  it  is  possible 
it  might  have  been  done  during  the  reign  of  the  latter, 
though  most  likely,  after  the  first  century  of  the  Chris- 
tian era. 

But  how  could  this  stone,  seen  at  Eleusis,  in  1676,  find 
its  way  to  London  ?  And  how,  from  having  been  so  much 
valued  by  some  antiquarian  as  to  be  brought  from  Greece 
to  England,  should  it  at  last  become  so  degraded  as 
to  make  part  of  the  pavement  of  a  back-kitchen,  in  so 
veiy  obscure  a  place  as  JVorth-green,  Worship-street  ? 

To  answer  these  questions  at  this  distance  of  time 
would  be  extremely  difficult.  We  find  that  Mr.  George 
Wheeler,  or  Wehler,  accompanied  Dr.  Spon  in  his  travels 
through  Greece ;  and  we  know,  that  shortly  after  he  re- 
turned and  settled  in  England.  Possibly  he  might  have 
brought  the  Stone  in  question  with  him.  Dr.  Chandler, 
who  travelled  over  the  same  ground  about  a  hundred 
years  after,  did  not  meet  with  this  Stone ;  though  he  sought 
for,  and  copied  every  ancient  inscription  whicli  remained 
in  tlie  countries  through  whicli  he  passed.  The  Stone, 
fherefore,  was  probably  removed  before  his  time.    An  in- 


FOUND    AT   ELEUSIS,    ETC  203 

scription  relative  to  the  same  family  and  milage,  if  not  to 
the  same  person,  he  met  with  and  copied  at  Athens :  the 
reader  may  find  it  in  the  hiscriptiones  Antiquct,  p.  57, 
Inscr.  37,  which,  because  of  its  affinity  to  the  accompany- 
ing Fac  Simile,  I  sliall  here  set  down. 

[TIBE]PIONK[A]ArAIONTIBEPIOY 

[KAA]YAI0rA10TEIM0YYI0N©E0<I>IA0N 

BHSAIA 

Tiberius  Claudius  Theophilus  on  the  Eleusinian  Stone, 
is  the  son  of  Tiberius  Claudius  Tiumistocles  ;  but  on  the 
Stone  which  Dr.  Chandler  copied,  he  is  the  son  of  Ti- 
berius Claudius  Diotimus.  Probably  this  was  a  surname 
of  T.  C.  Themistocles,  and  thus  both  inscriptions  may 
refer  to  the  same  person.  Still  however  the  history  of 
the  Stone  is  a  secret.  Where  it  had  been  laid  up,  or  by 
whom  possessed  for  a  long  series  of  years,  it  is  useless  to 
conjecture*  At  last,  however,  it  appears  to  have  fallen 
into  the  hands  of  some  person,  who,  knoAving  nothing  of 
its  value  as  a  relique  of  Grecian  antiquity,  put  it  down 
in  his  back-kitchen  to  supply  the  place  of  some  worn-out 
brick,  where  it  seems  long  to  have  served  the  double 
purpose  of  a  paving-stone  and  a  chopping-block  \ 

There  is  nothing  very  remarkable  in  the  form  of  any 
of  the  letters,  except  the  omega  and  the  omicron.  The 
former  I  have  already  noticed,  and  the  latter  is  also  wor- 
thy of  regard,  as  its  size  in  reference  to  the  other  letters, 
is  so  expressive  of  its  name,  it  being  much  less  in  propor- 
tion than  any  of  the  other  characters  on  the  stone ;  this, 
though  not  frequent,  is  sometimes  seen  in  very  ancient  in- 
scriptions. 


A 

DISSERTATION 

ON  THE 

Use  and  Abuse  of  Tobacco. 

WHEREIN 

THE   ADVANTAGES   AND   DISADVANTAGES   ATTENDING 

THE     CONSUMPTION     OF    THAT   ENTERTAINING 

AVEED,   AllE  PARTICULARLY  CONSIDERED. 

HUMBLY    ADDRESSED 

TO  ALL  THE   TOBACCO-CONSUMERS ; 

BUT    ESPECIALLY    TO    THOSE    AMONG 

RELIGIOUS  PEOPLE. 
BY  ADAM  CLARKE,  LL.  D. 

PRINCIPAL    LIBRARIAN    TO    THE    SURRY    INSTITUTION, 

AND 

AUTHOR  OF  THE  COMMENTARY  ON  THE  HOLY  BIBLE. 

To  such  a  height  with  some  is  fashion  grown, 
Tiiey  feed  their  very  nostrils  with  a  spoon. 
One  and  but  one  degree  is  wanting  yei. 
To  make  our  senseless  luxurv  complete  ; 
Some  choice  r^grJ/^,  useless  as  snuff  and  dear, 
To  feed  the  mazy  windings  of  the  ear-.^.S".  Wedey. 

Little  children,  keep  yourselves  from  IDOLS St.  John. 


NEW-YORK: 

PUBLISHED  BY  E.  SARGEANT,  AND  GRIFFIN  AND  RITDD 
AND  J.  F.  WATSON,  PHILADELPHIA. 

Vaul  and  Thomas,  Printers. 

1812. 


TO  THE  READER. 


In  writing  on  a  subject  which  appeared  to  me  of  vast 
importance  to  the  persons  to  whom  my  Pamphlet  is  di- 
rected, I  thought  it  necessary  to  mix  historic  instruction 
with  serious  admonition;  and  therefore  have  given  a 
short  description  of  the  Plant  in  question,  together  with 
the  histoiy  of  its  name  and  importation  into  these  and 
other  Eui-opean  countries.  I  have  drawn  my  informa- 
tion from  a  variety  of  sources ;  and  have  endeavoured  to 
detail  what  I  have  learned  on  this  subject  with  the  strict- 
est fidelity,  and  with  as  much  accuracy  as  possible I 

hope  I  have  made  no  material  mistakes :  if  I  have,  they 
were  involuntary ;  for  I  have  ever  spoken  according  ta 
the  best  of  my  knowledge.  I  am  not  so  vain  as  to  ima- 
gine that  those  who  have  been  long  attached  to  the  Pipe, 
the  Snuff-box^  or  the  Qiiid,  will  pay  much  regard  to  what 
I  have  written  on  the  subject.  I  know  too  much  of  hu- 
man nature  to  expect,  that  where  the  passions  are  strong- 
ly influenced,  and  obstinate  habits  contracted,  much  at- 
tention will  be  paid  to  rational  argumentation.  I  write 
not  to  convince  these;  I  have  laboured  with  many  of 
them  long,  and  almost  in  vain.  Demonstration  to  suck 
is  mere  cobweb  :....but  I  WTite  to  prevent  those  from  con- 
tinnins;  in  the  practice,  who  have  just  begun  ;  and  those 
irom  bfginning,  who  have  not  yet  got  under  the  power 
of  this  scandalous,  bewitching,  and  destructive  habit. 
What  I  have  done,  I  have  done  in  the  fear  of  God,  and 
with  the  simple  deske  to  be  useful  to  my  Brethren.    I 


108  ADVERTISEMENTS. 

have  sometimes  spoken  ir(mically,  sometimes  saiiricaU^., 
but  always  with  deep  seriousness  and  concern.  In  short, 
1  have  done  what  I  could  to  render  a  custom  odious  and 
detestable,  M-hich  I  think  every  thing  in  heaven  and 
earth  discountenances.  Whatever  reception  my  Pam- 
phlet may  meet  with,  all  the  reward  I  expect  is  secured ; 
a  satisfactory  consciousness  of  the  purest  motives,  and  the 
sincerest  desire  to  do  good.  Those  who  know  me  will 
give  me  credit  for  my  good  intentions :  and  those  who  will 
not  profit  by  my  advice,  will  have  the  candour  to  ac- 
knowledge that  I  have  made  a  sincere  attempt  to  deserve 
well  of  my  countrymen. 

ADAM  CLARKE. 
London,  May  15,  1797. 


ADVERTTSEJMEJSTP  TO  THE  SECOJSTD  EDITIOJV. 

In  this  Second  Edition  I  have  made  several  Alter>- 
ations,  which  I  hope  are  for  the  better,  and  added  some 
matters  of  importance  for  the  farther  elucidation  of  the 
subject.  Having  espoused  a  side'  of  the  question  so  un- 
popular, T  had  little  reason  to  expect  my  labour,  how- 
ever well  meant,  would  have  been  well  received ;  but  in 
this  I  have  been  mistaken.  The  rapid  sale  of  the  first 
Edition  (which  went  all  off  in  a  few  months)  and  the  re- 
peated calls  for  a  second,  prove  that  the  Pamphlet  has 
either  met  with  pretty  general  approbation,  or  excited  a 
considerable  degree  of  curiosity.  That  it  has  been  use- 
ful to  many  of  those  for  wliom  it  AvaS  drawn  up,  I  am 


ADVERTISEMENTS.  209 

happy  to  find ;  numbers  who  had  been  long  and  obsti- 
nately wedded  to  this  scandalous  practice  have  left  it 
off  entirely ;  and  not  a  few  have  returned  thanks  to  God 
for  deliverance  from  this  habit  and  its  consequences. 
"  But  are  all  cured  who  have  read  the  Pamphlet  ?"  No 
indeed ;  nor  did  I  ever  expect  it :  there  are  many  who 
continue  in  the  abuse  of  this  herb  without  diminution, 
roundly  asserting  it  does  them  much  good,  though  the 
miserable  shew  of  their  countenance  doth  testify  against 
them....howeveT,  they  thus  continue  to  defend  themselves 
as  well  as  they  can. 

One  thing  I  find  I  have  great  cause  of  rejoicing  in; 
the  Sp-t-g  Dishes  are  vanishing  from  the  whole  circle 
of  tni/  acquaintance. 


ADVERTISEMEMT  TO  THE  THIRD  EBITIOJSr. 

I  HAVE  revised  the  whole  of  this  Dissertation,  and 
by  a  variety  of  corrections,  improvements,  and  additional 
facts,  have  rendered  this  Edition  more  worthy  of  the 
attention  and  patronage  of  the  Public,  than  either  of  the 
preceding  ones. 

Manchester,  Nov.  23,  1804. 


s  2 


LETTERS  OF  RECOMMEND ATIOIS^. 


I  need  make  no  apolony  for  inserting  the  following  LET- 
TERS. Such  testimonies  to  my  well-meant  efforts, 
canp.ot  fail  to  stamp  them  in  the  eye  of  the  Public  Avith 
an  importance  which  they  could  not  derive  fix>m  their 
author. 


TO  MR.  A.  CLARKE. 

My  Dear  Sir...  J  rejoice  to  hear  that  a  second  im- 
pression oj  your  Treatise  on  the  abuse  of  tobacco  is 
called  for  hy  the  Public.  To  my  knowledge,  several  of 
both  Sexes,  and  some  of  them  high  in  Rank,  have  left  off 
the  taking  of  Tobacco  in  every  shape  from  tJie  reading 
of  your  PampMet,  bdng  fully  convinced  that  its  use  by 
them  was  a  criminal  indulgence,  utterly  unbecoming  the 
Professors  of  the  Wisdom  of  God.  "  /  still  most  cor- 
dially recommend  its  perusal  to  all  the  consumers  of  that 
herb,  more  especially  to  the  Professors  of  Religion  ;  and 
above  all,  to  the  Preachers  of  the  Gospel.'' 

Wishing  that  it  may  be  still  more  useful,  that  your 
word  may  be  made  more  and  more  the  power  of  God  to 
the  conversion  of  sinners, 

I  am,  my  dear  Sir, 

Your  very  eiffectionate  Friend, 
JAMES  HAMILTON,  M.  B. 
London,  Artillerj^-Place, 
March  13,1798. 


LETTERS    OF    RECOMMENDATION.  211 

TO  MR.  A.  CLARKE. 

Dear  Sir..,.It  is  with  the  greatest  pleasure  that  I  have 
perused,  and  with  the  great  st  cmfidence  that  I  can  re- 
commend to  others^  your  ingenious  Pamphlet  on  the  Use 
and  Abuse  of  Tobacco. 

I  am  happy  to  find  that  a  third  Edition  of  it  is  called 
for  ;  and  am  persuaded,  that  the  more  widely  it  is  circu- 
lated, the  more  extensively  useful  it  is  likely  to  become. 
I  am,  dear  Sir, 

Yours  most  sincerely, 

DISNEY  ALEXANDER,  M.  D. 
Oldham  Street,  Manchester, 
Nor.  29,  1804. 


TO  MR.  A.  CLARKE. 

Dear  Sir....I  have  read  with  great  pleasure  your  very 
valuable  Essay  on  the  Use  and  Abuse  of  Tobacco.  I 
have  long  witnessed  in  a  variety  of  cases,  the  deletrious 
effects  produced  by  the  constant  use  of  that  strong  Nar- 
cotic, such  as  vertigo,  indigestion,  flatulence,  &c.  which 
must  necessarily  be  the  inseparable  concomitants  of  the 
application  of  such  a  narcotic  stimulus  to  so  large  a 
portion  of  the  nervous  and  secreting  surface,  either  in 
substance  or  vapour.  I  am  confident  the  pernicious  ef- 
fects of  Tobacco  are  second  to  none  produced  by  the  com/- 
bination  of  all  the  luxuries  and  poisons  by  which  custom 
and  fffcminacy  have  enslaved  %is,  the  potation  of  spiritu- 
ous liquors  excepted.  But  this  last  rarely  stands  by  it- 
self as  the  use  of  the  Pipe,  &c.  almost  invariably  leads 
to  the  immoderate  use  of  ardent  spirits* 


212  LETTERS    OF    RECOMMENDATION. 

That  the  third  Edition  of  your  Essay,  which  is  now 
called  for  hy  the  Public,  may  be  extensively  diffused,  to 
prevent  tmthinking  youth  from  becoming  slaves  to  this 
most  dangerous  habit,  and  also  to  reform  those  who  are 
destroying  their  health,  &c,  by  the  use  of  Tobacco,  is  the 
sincere  wish  of. 

Dear  Sir, 
Your  Friend  and  Servant, 

ROBERT  AGNEW,  M.  D. 

Picadilly,  Manchester, 
Nov.  30,  1804. 


\  DISSERTxlTION,  % 


BOTANIC   CLASSIFICATION. 

Tobacco,  an  herb  called  in  the  Linnean  system  M- 
cotiana,  is  a  genus  of  the  Mo/iogynia  order,  beloi.gi.ig  to 
the  Pentandria  class  of  Plants. 

Botanists  reckon  seven  species  of  this  herb ;  but  I  shall 
at  present  mention  only  the  three  principal  on.es.  1. 
Nicotiana  major  latifolia^  or  the  large  broad-leafed  To- 
bacco. 2.  Nicotiana  major  an^ustifolia,  or  narrow-leaf- 
ed large  Tobacco.  3.  Nicotiana  minor  fcemina^  or  little 
female  Tobacco.  The  second  species  comes  chiefly 
from  Virginia;  and  the  third  is  found  principally  ia 
Mexico  :  but  it  is  the  first  species  that  is  in  common  use^. 
Any  farther  description  would  be  foreign  to  my  design. 

HISTORY    AND    NAME. 

It  is  reported  that  the  Spaniards  first  discovered  this 
herb,  about  the  year  1560,  in  a  small  island  called  Ta- 
baca,  ill  the  Bay  of  Panama  in  the  South  Sens :  from 
which  place  it  got  the  name  of  Tobacco.  Others,  with 
more  probability,  say,  that  the  Spaniards  found  it  about 
the  year  1530  in  Tabaca,  a  province  of  Yucatan  in 
New  Spain.     There  is  little  doubt  but  it  was  known  long 


214  A   DISSERTATION   ON   TOBACCO. 

before  in  the  East  Indies,  and  at  Brazil  and  Florida.'' 
The  Americans  of  the  Continent  call  it  Pctun ;  tliose  of 
the  islands  Yoli.  Mr.  Pourchot,  in  his  philosophy,  says, 
"  The  Portuguese  brought  Tobacco  into  Europe  from  To- 
bago, an  island  m  North  America :"  but  in  tliis  he  is  mis- 
taken ;  for  the  island  of  Tobago  was  never  under  the  Portu- 
guese dominion.  Tobacco  seems  rather  to  have  given  «V« 
name  to  tliat  island.  The  inhabitants  of  Hispaniola  call 
Tobacco  Cohiba,  and  the  instrument  by  which  they 
smoke  it,  Tabaco.  It  is  probable  from  this  alone  the 
herb  in  question  derived  its  present  name.  "  Tabakides 
is  a  village  in  Greece,  so  called  because  the  pipes  io 
smoking  Tobacco  were  manufactured  there."  Martiniere, 
Diet.  Art.  Tabaco. 

Its  botanic  name,  Nicotiana,  it  received  from  Mr. 
John  Nicot,  ambassador  from  Francis  II.  at  the  court  of 
Portugal,  who  in  1560  coming  to  the  knowledge  of  it  by 
means  of  a  Flemish  merchant,  presented  some  of  it  to 
the  Grand  Prior,  on  his  arrival  at  Lisbon ;  and  afterwards, 
on  his  return  to  France,  gave  some  to  Q,ueen  Catharine 
de  Medicis.  From  these  circumstances  it  lias  been  de- 
nominated the  Grand  Prior's  Herb,  and  tlie  Queen's 
Herb.  But  Andrew  Thevet  of  Angouleme,  Almoner  ta 
Queen  Catharine  de  Medicis,  disputes  this  honour  Avith 
Mr.  Nicot,  and  it  appears  probable,  that  this  s:entlemaa 
broujrht  it  first  into  France,  at  his.J'eturn  from  Brazil  in 
1556. 

Cardinal  Santa  Croce,  Nu'^cJo  of  Pope  Pius  IV. 
in  Portu2;al,  on  his  return  introduced  the  use  of  it  into 

*  Mr.  Savary  asserts,  that  Tobacco  has  been  known  among 
the  Persians  for  upwards  of  400  yeirs  •  and  supposes  that  they 
received  it  from  Ec^-j^pt,  and  not  from  the  East  Indies,  where  it 
has  been  cultivated  onl\  since  the  commencement  of  the  17th 
Century.  Dictieni.aire  Universel  de  Commerce^  a  Geneve, 
1742. 


A   DISSERTATION   ON   TOBACCO.  215 

Italy :  from  whom  it  was  denominated  Herba  sancta:  cm- 
ds,  or  Holy  Cross  Herb.  It  is  generally  supposed  that 
Sir  Walter  Raleigh  first  brought  Tobacco  to  England,  in 
1583,  and  taught  his  countrymen  how  to  use  it.  But  this 
report,  which  has  passed  long  lor  fact,  will  be  found 
on  examination  incorrect.  Mr.  Valmout  de  Bomare,  Di- 
rector of  the  Cabinets  of  Natural  History,  Medicine,  &c. 
to  the  Prince  of  Conde,  positively  asserts,  that  Sir  Fran- 
cis Drake  brought  it  first  to  Great  Britain  from  Virginia. 
Camden,  whose  veracity  is  indisputable,  and  whose 
authority  in  matters  of  this  nature  is  decisive,  gives  the  ho- 
nour of  its  intioduction  among  the  British  to  a  Mr.  Ralph 
Lane.  As  this  part  of  its  history  is  but  little  known,  the 
reader  will  not  be  displeased  to  find  the  whole  here 
in  detail. 

In  March  1584,  Sir  Walter  Raleigh,  having  obtained 
a  patent  from  Queen  Elizabeth,  empowering  him  to  pos- 
sess whatever  countries  he  might  discover  in  North  Ame- 
rica, fitted  out  two  ships  at  his  own  expense,  and  sailed 
for  the  continent  in  the  month  of  April....They  returned 
to  England  in  September,  after  having  taken  possession  of 
a  large  fertile  country  then  named  Wi?idangocoa,  but  af- 
terwards, in  honour  of  the  Virgin  Queen  Elizabeth,  call- 
ed Virginia.  In  the  spring  of  1585,  Sir  Walter  sent  out 
a  fleet  of  seven  ships  to  the  lately  discovered  countr}% 
commanded  by  his  relation,  Sir  Richard  Grenville,  who 
arriving  safely,  left  a  colony  of  108  men  under  the  com- 
mand of  Mr.  Ralph  Lane,  at  Roanock,  In  the  course  of 
this  year,  the  Queen  having  declared  Avar  against  Spain, 
sent  Sir  Francis  Drake  with  21  ships,  and  many  land  for- 
ces under  the  command  of  General  Carlisle,  against  the 
Spanish  settlements  in  America,  &c.  After  having  taken 
possession  of  St.  Domingo,  Carthagena,  and  some  towns 
on  the  coast  of  Florida,  they  sailed  for  Virginia,  where 
they  aiTived  in  August  1586,  and  found  Mr.  Lane  and 


216  A  DISSERTATION  ON    TOBACCO. 

the  remains  of  his  colony  in  great  distress.  Lane  had 
passed  the  winter  here ;  but  several  of  his  men  had  been 
suiprised  and  cut  offby  the  Indians,  and  the  whole  reduced 
to  the  utmost  misery  through  lack  of  provisions.  Drake 
%rishing  them  to  prosecute  their  discoveries  on  the  con- 
tinent, offered  Mr.  Lane  one  or  two  ships,  with  provisions, 
and  some  men  to  assist  him.  The  offer  was  accepted,  but 
whilst  they  were  shifting  the  provisions,  &c.  on  board 
these  vessels,  an  extraordinarj"  storm  carried  them  away, 
and  dispersed  the  whole  fleet.  Lane  and  his  companions 
thus  finding  the  hope  of  subsistence  cut  off,  and  not  ex- 
pecting any  succour  speedily  from  England,  entreated  Sir 
Francis  to  carry  them  home :  to  which  he  readily  agi-eed. 
These  all  embarking  on  board  of  Drake's  vessel,  brought 
with  them  the  famous  plant  in  question  to  Great  Bri- 
lain.*  Thus  ended,  for  the  present,  an  expedition  which 
had  promised  mtich  in  the  beginning,  and  which  some, 
perhaps,  will  think  performed  a  great  deal,  when  they  un- 
derstand that  the  introduction  of  Tobacco  to  these  high- 
ly favoured  isles  w  as  the  f&rtunate  result. 

Camden's  account  of  its  introduction  being  so  much  to 
my  purpose,  I  shall  give  it  in  a  literal  translation  of  his 
oA\Ti  words. 

"  And  these  men  (Mr.  Lane  and  his  companions)  thus 
brought  back,  Mere  the  first  that  I  know  of,  who  brought 
into  England  that  Indian  plant  which  they  call  Tabaca 
and  Nicotia ;  and  which,  as  taught  by  the  Indians,  they 
used  against  crudities. 

"  Certainly  from  that  time  it  was  highly  prized,  and 
the  use  of  it  became  veiy  common,  for  many  persons  every 


*  See  Catnden's  Annals,  under  the  above  years.  AI;50,  the 
History  of  Virginia,  by  R  B.  Gent  8vo.  p.  5,  6.  Lond.  1722. 
Ency.  Brit,  article  Raleigh  .•  and  Jiovjcire,  Dictionnaire  raisenne, 


A   DISSERTATION   ON    TOBACCO.  217 

where,  some  through  wantonness,  {lascivientes,)  and  others 
for  tlie  sake  of  health,  with  inexpressible  greediness, 
sucked  in,  through  an  earthen  pipe,  its  excessively  stink- 
ing smoke,  {grave-oleniem  illius  Jianum,)  which  they  af- 
terwards blew  out  through  then*  nostrils;  insomuch  that 
Tobacco-shops  are  not  less  frequent  in  towns  than  ale- 
houses and  taverns. 

"  In  consequence  of  this  use  of  it,  the  bodies  of  En- 
glishmen, (as  one  wittily  said)  Avho  are  so  highly  delight- 
ed witli  this  plant,  seem  to  have  degenerated  into  the  na- 
ture of  barbarians,  seeing  they  are  delighted  with  the 
same  thing  which  the  barbarians  use,  and  think  they  can 
be  cured  by  it."* 

In  the  above  extract  the  reader  will  perceive  the 
opinion  which  My.  Camden  formed  of  the  Tobacco-con- 
sumers of  Ms  day ;  and  will  also  observe  hoAv  much  the 
2nod€  of  smoking  in  the  nineteenth  century  differs  from 
that  of  the  sixteenth. 

On  this  interesting  article  I  have  endeavoured  to 
throw  all  the  light  I  could ;  because  it  may  be  considered 
a  matter  of  some  importance  to  have  this  pomt  fairly  de- 
termined, that  the  inhabitants  of  Great  Britain  may 
knoAV  to  whom  they  are  indebted  for  so  valuable  a  gift, 
and  their  benefactor  receive  tlie  honours  due  to  his 
name.  But  if  what  I  have  written  do  not  satisfy,  I  must 
confess,  I  have  no  farther  light  into  the  history  of  "  other 
times,"  to  determine  the  point,  and  therefore  willingly  re- 
fer the  farther  elucidation  of  the  subject  to  the  Chronolo- 
gists  and  Antiquarians. 

The  vegetable  kingdom  has  probably  never  produced 
an  article  termed  medicinal,  the  use  of  which  has  been  so 
rapidly  and  universally  extended.     In  1 750,  the  Eiiglisli, 


*  Vide  Camel  Annales  rer.  Anglicar.  p.  415.  Edit.  Elzey. 
1625. 


218  A   DISSERTAIION    ON    TOBACCO. 

says  Mr.  De  Bomare,  imported  from  Maryland  and  Vir- 
ginia upwards  of  100,000  hogsheads  of  Tobacco;  nearly 
one  half  of  w  hich  was  consumed  by  themselves,  and  most 
of  the  remainiiig  part  exported  to  France ;  from  wliich  the 
British  Government  drew  an  annual  revenue  of  9,200,000 
French  livres,  about  383,333/.  Gs.  Sd.  Sterling.*    Hence 


*  Since  the  American  war  the  culture  of  this  herb  has  de- 
creased considerably  in  Virginia,  the  proprietors  of  the  land 
finding  it  more  profitable  to  devote  the  ground  to  the  produc- 
tion of  corn.  The  French  Encyclopedists  give  the  following  rea- 
sons for  it :  The  culture  of  Tobacco  impoverishes  the  land, — 
it  reduces  both  men  and  animals  to  a  miserable  state  of  subsist- 
ence— it  is  very  perplexing  and  laborious — in  a  word,  it  has 
every  kind  of  inconvenience  connected  with  it.  Encyclop. 
]Methodiq.uEj  Economie,  polit.  Tom.  iv.  p.  651,  652. 

It  is  to  be  hoped  that  the  culture  of  this  pernicious  herb  will 
soon  give  way  to  something  more  advantageous  to  mankind. 
The  American  farmers  begin  to  turn  their  attention  to  subjects 
more  certain  in  their  growth,  and  more  productive  to  the  hus- 
bandman.    Mr.  J.  B.  Bordley,  in  his  "  Essays  on   Husbandry 
and   Rural    AflTairs,"   lately  printed  at   Philadelphia,  writes 
thus : — If  the  ground  be  good  and  well  prepared,  no  crop  is 
more  certain  than  hempi  sowed  in  time,  and  when  the  soil  is 
moist.     But  how  uncertain  is  the  Tobacco  crop  !    Failure  of 
plants  fi'om  frost,  drought,  or  fly  ;  want  of  seasonable  iveather 
for  planting  ;  destruction  by  the  ground-Viorm,  lueb-ivorniy  horn- 
^vorm .—buttoning  I or.^,  for  v/antof  rain;  curling  or  frenching, 
from  too  much  rain  ;    Iwuse-buniing  'or  fu7d'ifig,  while  curing  ; 
frost,  before  housed ;   heating  in  bulk,  or  in  the  hogshead ;  in- 
spection, cutting,  &c.     Cultivating  Tobacco  cleans,  but  exposes 
the  soil   to  exhalation  and  washing   away.     It   shelters   the 
ground  only  about  a  month  ;  but  Hemp  shades  it  from  Alaj  till 
about  the  first  of  Jugust.     A  Planter  gaining  20  hogslieads  of 
Tobacco  from  20  acres  of  ground,  value  800  dollars,  might  ex- 
pect 12000  or  16000  lbs.  of  Hemp  from  tlie  same  ground,  value 
1000  or  1200  dollars.     But  if  the  income  from  the  hemp  should 
he  a  fourth  less  than  from  the  Tobacco-crop,  yet  I  would,  on 
several  accounts,  prefer  the  culture  of  Hemp-" 


A   DISSERTATION    ON    TOBACCO. 


219 


it  appeai-s  tliat  the  grave  iuhabitanls  oi"  Great  Britain, 
have  greatly  exceeded  tlie  frivolous  French  in  the  use  of 
this  elegant  and  entertaining  weed.  In  1796,  Tobacco 
imported  into  this  kingdom  amounted  to  23,008,775 
pounds  weight.  Of  this,  11,490,446  pounds  were  de- 
livered out  for  home  consumption,  the  duty  for  which, 
paid  to  government,  amounted  to  287,252/.  lU.  0</. 
Sterling!  In  1798,  seventy  sliips,  ladea  Avith  Tobacco, 
came  into  the  port  of  London,  whose  cargo  amount- 
ed to  forty  millions  of  pounds  weight !  When  such  an 
amazing  consumption  of  this  article,  in  only  two  kingdoms, 
is  considered,  it  will  not  appear  surprising  that  a  plant, 
vhich  was  formerly  only  a  wild  production  of  North  oi 
South  America,  should  have  been  so  extensively  cultiva- 
ted ;  seeing  not  only  the  inhabitants  of  Great  Britain  and 
France,  but  of  Europe  in  general,  have  acquired  the  ex- 
travagant habit  of  using  such  prodigious  quantities  of  it, 
either  in  the  form  of  powder^  as  a  stermitafory  ;  by  the 
pipe^  in  the  way  o^  fumigation  ;  or  in  tivist,  ssdi  mastica- 
tory. And  this  habit,  strange  to  tell,  notwithstanding  its 
shocking  indelicacy  and  nastiness,  continues  to  enslave, 
in  the  most  disgraceful  manner,  the  higher,  lower,  and 
middle  ranks  of  life.  The  Church  and  the  State  have 
conjoined  to  sanctify  and  legalize  the  use  of  it,  from  the 
time  of  the  Grand  Prior,  oi  the  o  le  part,  and  Queen  Ca- 
tharine de  Medicis,  on  the  other,  to  the  present  day. 

MEDICAL    PROPERTIES,    REAL    AND    SUPPOSED. 

Certainly  some  uncommon  benefits  must  result  from  the 
use  of  this  herb,  otherwise  it  could  not,  one  would  sup- 
pose, be  continued  in  defiance  of  every  sentiment  of 
cleanliness  and  delicay....It  appears  that  vegetables  of  the 
most  foetid  smell,  and  unsavory  taste,  were  considered  by 
the  ancients  as  corroborants  and  restoratives.     The  poet 


220  A   DISSERTATION   ON   TOBACCO. 

Virgil  introduces  a  country  woman  named  Thestylis 
pouading  garlic  and  some  other  matters,  Avhich  he  pro- 
perly terms  herhas  olentes,  ill-scented  herbs,  for  the  com- 
fort and  support  of  the  reapers,  whose  strength  was  ex- 
hausted by  intense  labour  and  heat.*  But  this  was  pro- 
bably done  by  Avay  of  chann,  (surely  not  iorfood,  as  Ju- 
vencus  and  some  others  imagine :)  the  name  of  the  good 
woman  suggests  this  idea.  Thestylis  is  the  name  of  a 
witch's  servant  in  Theocritus,  ^vho,  mcU  acquainted  Avitli 
the  divine  virtues  of  herbs,  helped  her  mistress  to  pre- 
pare Philtres,  or  love  potions,  from  them.f  To  her  Vir- 
gil seems  to  refer ;  for  it  is  well  known  how  constantly 
his  eye  is  kept  on  the  Pastorals  of  the  Greek  Poet,  while 
writing  his  own.  IN^ow  it  is  a  fact,  that  divine  virtues  and 
miraculous  powers  have  been  attributed  to  this  highly- 
favoured  weed  by  its  consumers ;  who,  in  seed-time  and 
harvest^  winter  and  summer,  provide  for  the  gratification 
of  their  senses  by  an  herb,  which  yields  nothing,  either 
in  taste  or  smell,  to  the  most  foetid  in  the  witch's  col- 
lection. 

But,  to  find  out  its  extraordinary  medicinal  qualities, 
we  must  hear  what  report,  prejudice,  and  superstition, 
say  on  the  one  hand ;  and  what  common  sense  and  mat-, 
ter  of  fact  say  on  the  other. 

*  Thestylis  et  rapido  fessis  meSsoribus  acstu, 
AlUa,  Serpyllumque,  herbas  contundit  olentes. 

Eel.  2. 1.  10. 
And  Thestylis  bruises  ill-scented  herbs,  garlic  and  wild 
thyme  for  the  reapers  exhausted  by  the  violence  of  the  heat. 

4  n«  y.oi  roil  Aec(ptxt  j  <ptpe  Be'TvXi  j   ttu.  h  rx  (ptXrpct. 

Idyll.  2.  1.  1. 
Where  are  my  laurels  and  my  philtres  where  ? 
Quick  bring  them  Thestylis..  the  charm  prepare. 

Fawket. 


A  DISSERTATION    ON   TOBACCO.  221 

The  most  concise,  and  (to  some)  satisfactory  view  of 
the  medicinal  excellencies  of  this  herb,*  is  to  be  found  in 
some  verses  of  Castor  Duranli,  inserted  by  Mr.  Bayle 
in  his  Dictionary,  under  the  article  Santa  Croce; 
which,  for  the  aniple  satisfaction  of  tlie  Tobacco- consu- 
mers, I  will  here  set  down  in  the  original,  Avith  the  faith- 
ful, though  not  very  elegant  translation  of  Mr.  Des  Mai- 
ze aux,  F.  R.  &. 

Nomine  quae  srinc(ac  cvucis  herba  vocatur,  ocellls 
Subvenit,  &  sanat  plagas,  £c  vulnera  jungit, 
Dlsciitit  Sc  strumas,  cancrum,  cancrosaque  sanat 
Ulcera,  8c  ambustis  prodest,  scabiemque  repellit ; 
Discutit  Sc  morbum  cui  cessit  ab  impete  nomeri, 
Calefacit,  S;  siccat,  stringlt,  mundatque,  resolvit, 
Kt  Dentum  &  ventris  mulcet  capitisque  dolores ; 
Subvenit  antiquse  tussi,  stomacoque  rigenti 
llenibus  8c  spleni,  confert,  ultroque,  venena 
Dira  sagittarum  domat,  ictibus  omnibus  atris 
Usee  eadem  prodest :  glngivis  pi-oficit  atque 
Conciliat  somnum :  nuda  ossaque  carne  revestit ; 
Thoracis  vitiis  prodest,  pulmonis  itemque, 
Qujc  duo  sic  prsestat,  non  ulla  potentior  herba. 
lianc  Sanciacriicius  Prosper  quum  nuncius  esset, 
Sedis  Apostolicse  Lusitanas  missus  in  oraa 
Hue  adportavit  Romanse.ad  commoda  gentis,, 
Ut  proavi  sanctai  ligmim  ci'ucis  ante  tulere 
Omnis  Christiadum  quo  nunc  respublica  gaudet, 
Et  Sanctde  Crucis  illustris  domus  ipsa  vocatur 
Corporis  atque  animse  nostrie  studiosa  salutis. 

"  The  herb  which  borrows  Saiita  Croce*s  name. 
Sore  eyes  I'elieves,  and  heateth  wounds  ;  the  same 


*  The  Latin  poem  on  this  subject,  ,/?j'7nnu*  Tabaci,  written 
by  a  physician  called  Raphael  Thoriiis,  in  the  reign  of  James 
I,  and  the  English  translation  of  it  by  the  Rev.  W.  Bewick, 
London,  1725,  are  of  equal  merit,  and.  scarcely  deserve  to  be 
jneutioned. 

T  2 


222  A   DISSERTATION   ON   TOBACCO* 

Discusses  the  King's  evil,  and  removes 

Cancers  and  boils  ;  a  remedy  it  proves 

For  burns  and  scalds,  repels  the  nauseous  Itch, 

And  straight  recovers  from  convulsion  fits. 

It  cleanses,  dries,  binds  up,  and  maketh  warm  : 

The  Jiead-ach,  tooth-ach,  colic,  like  a  charm. 

It  easeth  soon  ;  an  ancient  cough  relieves. 

And  to  tlie  reins,  and  milt,  and  stomach  gives 

Quick  riddance  from  the  pains  which  each  endures  r 

Next  the  dire  wounds  of  poisoned  arrows  cures  : 

All  bruises  heals,  and  when  the  gums  are  sore. 

It  makes  them  sound  and  healthy  as  before. 

Sleep  it  procures,  our  anxious  sorrow  lays. 

And  with  new  flesh  the  naked  bone  arrays. 

No  herb  hath  greater  power  to  rectify 

All  the  disorders  in  the  breast  that  lie. 

Or  in  the  lungs.     Herb  of  immortal  fame ! 

Which  hither  first  by  Santa  Croce  came. 

"When  he  (his  time  of  Nunciature  expir'd) 

Back  from  the  court  of  Portugal  retir'd ; 

Even  as  his  predecessors  great  and  good. 

Brought  home  the  Cross,  whose  consecrated  wood 

All  Christendom  now  with  its  presence  blesses ; 

And  still  th'  illustrious  family  possesses 

The  name  of  Santa  Croccy*  rightly  given. 

Since  they  in  all  respects  resembling  heaven,. 

Procure  as  much  as  mortal  men  can  do. 

The  welfare  of  our  souls  and  bodies  too." 

To  this  high  strained  panegyric  nothing  need  be  add- 
ed, as  all  that  was  formerly  attributed  to  the  wood  of  the 
true  Cross,  in  behalf  of  the  soul,  is  here  attributed  to  To- 
bacco in  behalf  of  the  body.  The  spiritual  and  medical 
virtues  of  each,  in  their  common  mode  of  application,  will 
doubtless  be  thought  by  some  pretty  nearly  equal. 


•  1  believe  the  family  of  the  Santa  Croce  (i.  e.  Holy  Cross) 
were  thus  denominated  from  one  of  their  ancestors,  who 
fcroughtthe  wood  of  the  true  Cross  into  Italy... .fi  vera  estfama. 


A   DISSERTATION   ON    TOBACCO.  223 

On  this  part  of  the  subject  candour  demands  that  I 
should  mention  what  is  said  in  behalf  of  a  proper  use  of 
Tobacco,  by  the  most  eminent  of  the  modern  Physicians. 
The  Editors  of  the  Edinburgh  Dispensatory  observe, 
that  "  Of  late,  Tobacco  under  the  form  of  a  vinous  or 
watery  infusion,  given  in  small  quantities,  so  as  to  pro- 
duce little  effect  by  its  action  on  the  stomach,  has  been 
found  a  very  useful  and  powerful  diuretic.  Dr.  Fow- 
ler has  published  several  cases  of  Dropsy  and  Dysur^% 
in  which  its  employment  has  been  attended  with  the  best 
effects ;  and  this  has  been  confirmed  by  the  practice  of 
others.  Beaten  into  a  mash  with  vinegar  or  brandy,  it 
has  sometimes  proved  serviceable  for  removing  hard  tu- 
mours of  the  Hj^ochondres.  Two  cases  of  cure  by  this 
means  are  published  in  the  Edinburgh  Essays Injec- 
tions by  the  anus  of  the  smoke  or  decoction  have  been 
of  advantage  in  cases  of  obstinate  Constipation^  threaten- 
ing Iktis^  of  incarcerated  Hernia,  of  spasmodic  Asthmtty 
and  of  persons  apparently  dead  from  drowning  or  other 
sudden  causes."  If  any  of  the  Tobacco-consumers  choose 
to  make  use  of  it  (secundcm  artemj  in  any  of  the  above 
cases,  they  have  my  fidl  consent. 

That  Dr.  F.  has  used  it  successfully  in  several  cases 
of  Dropsy  and  Dysury,  I  rejoice  to  be  able  to  state;  and 
tlirough  the  hands  of  such  an  able  Physician  all  the  good 
that  is  in  it  may  be  fully  communicated.  In  such  hands 
alone,  could  I  trust  the  use  of  it  as  a  medicine.  But  let 
the  persons  who  produce  Dr.  FoAvler's  successful  experi- 
ments remember,  that  not  one  of  the  cures  he  mentions 
was  wrought  by  the  Pipe,  the  Quid,  or  the  Snuff-box. 
The  forms  in  which  Dr.  Fowler  ordered  it,  were  either 
Infusion,  Tincture,  or  Pills. 

To  make  the  Infusion,  he  took  one  ounce  of  Tobacco- 
leaves  dried ;  boiling  water,  one  pound.  This  he  kept 
for  aa  hour  close  covered  in  a  warm  place,  then  strained 


224  A   mSSERTATION    ON    TOBACCO, 

off  14  ounces,  and  added  2  ounces  of  rectified  spirit  of 
wine.  Of  tliis  he  ventured  to  give  to  adults,  from  00  to 
100  drops  twice  a  day  :....iu  irritaWe  habits  he  seldom  ex- 
ceeded 25  drops:  to  a  patient  of  15  years  old  he  gave 
45  drops;  to  one  of  10,  30  drops;  to  a  child  of  5  years 
old  he  gave  1 5  drops :  but  seldom  ventured  to  prescribe 
it  to  patients  under  5  years  of  age. 

The  Tinctttrc  he  prepared  as  follows :  Dried  Tobacco 
leaves,  one  ounce;  of  rectified  spirits,  Spanish  white 
wine,  or  vinegar,  one  point;  to  be  infused  for  four  days.... 
This  he  seems  to  have  administered  in  nearly  the  same 
proportions  as  the  Infusion.  This  Infusion  is  powerfully 
diuretic,  and  has  been  used  Avith  excellent  effect  in  cases 
of  Dropsy. 

The  Pills  he  prepared  thus :  Dried  Tobacco  leaves  in 
powder,  and  Conserve  of  Roses,  one  drachm  each ;  mu- 
cilage of  Gum  Arabic,  enough  to  make  it  into  a  mass...- 
This  he  divided  into  sixti/  Pills. 

Dr.  Fowler  exhibited  the  Infusion  in  79  dropsical  ea- 
gres; 28  of  which  were  cured,  32  relieved,  and  19  not  re- 
lieved. From  the  facts  and  operations  which  he  iias  pro- 
duced, he  thinks  he  is  authorized  to  draw  the  following 
conclusions : 

1.  That  the  Infusion  of  Tobacco  is  generally  diui'etic, 
frequently  anodyne,  and  sometimes  laxative. 

2.  That  it  is  an  efficacious  medicine  in  dropsical  cases, 
its  success  for  the  most  part  strikingly  corresponding 
with  its  diuretic  effect. 

3.  That,  in  general,  it  is  of  great  service  in  Dysuriesj 
(or  cases  of  pain  and  difficulty  in  passing  urine,;  by  re- 
lieving, the  pain,  and  promoting  a  flow  of  urine ;  which  is 
sometimes  attended  with  a  discharge  of  gritty  matter.* 


♦  Fowler  on  the  Effects  of  Tobacco,  p.  92.  Edit.  2d. 


A   DISSERTATION   ON    TOBACCO.  225 

The  caution  of  this  celebrated  Physician,  in  using  this 
formidable  medicine,  is  worthy  of  remark.  How  small 
are  his  doses,  in  comparison  of  the  immense  quantities  ta- 
ken every  day  by  foolish  idle  people !  Let  those  who 
urge  medical  necessity  for  the  use  of  this  herb,  use  it  in 
the  same  way,  and  in  the  same  •proportions  as  du-ected 
above ;  and  instead  of  bein"^,  Avhat  it  has  long  been,  a  curse 
to  multitudes,  it  will  be  a  blessing  to  many.  Most  cor- 
dially therefore  I  recommend  the  use  of  the  Infusion  or 
Tincture  in  cases  of  Dropsy  and  Dysury,  in  which  it  will 
seldom  be  employed  without  good  effects. 

MEDICAL    TESTIMONIES    AGATNST    THE   COMMON    USE    OF 
TOBACCO. 

Dr.  Strotker  observes,*  "  Smoking  is  become  an  uni- 
versal practice,  and  is  used  more  as  an  amusement,  or  au 
assistant  for  guzzling,  than  for  any  good  expected  from 
it....However,  I  cannot  deny  how  beneficial  smoking  is  to 
persons  subject  to  defluxions  on  the  lungs ;  it  is  a  strong 
and  constant  revulsion;  and  I  have  known  phlegmatic 
coughs  and  hoarsenesses  taken  off  by  it,  where  other  re- 
medies failed ;"  (and  I  have  known  it  tried  in  the  above 
cases  without  the  smallest  p-ood  effect ;)  "  but  then,"  con- 
tinues the  Doctor,  "are  healthy  persons  to  be  pinned 
down  to  rules,  which  are  only  to  be  followed  by  some  few, 
subject  to  breed  too  much  Phlegm  ?  Nor  should  these 
very  persons  tamper  with  Tobacco  in  summer,  Avhich  is  a 
season  that  dries  our  humours.  In  short,  the  healthy, 
and  they  who  are  of  a  warm  constitution,  should  avoid  it, 
because  the  first  perform  their  functions  well,  and  the  lat- 
ter Avould  be  more  heated  thereby." 


*  Essay  on  Sickness  and  Health,  p.  408. 


226  A    DISSERTATION    ON    TOBACCO. 

Dr.  Maynwaring,  m  Iiis  Treatise  on  the  Scifrvi/,  lia& 
written  largely  against  the  use  of  this  herb.  He  asserts 
in  the  most  positive  manner  that  it  is  a  grand  procuring 
cause  of  scorbutic  complaints,  and  that  the  Scurvy  has 
abounded  much  more  in  tliese  nations  since  the  introduc- 
tion of  Tobacco  than  it  had  ever  done  before.  See  his 
Treatise,  p.  70. 

On  this  subject  old  Mr.  Salmon,  a  man  in  practical 
medicine  Avise  beyond  his  day,  speaks  as  follows:  '-The 
powder  of  the  leaf  is  used  as  a  stermitatorij  to  cleanse  the 
head  and  brain,  and  may  be  profitable,  being  used  physi- 
cally; but  the  ordinary  and  constant  use  of  it  for  Snush, 
is  of  very  evil  consequences,  and  induces  ApoplcxiesJ^^ 
For  drawing  away  the  thin  matter  by  itself^  through  the 
continual  use  thereof,  the  thick  is  left  behind,  where  in- 
creasing, and  being  too  thick  to  pass  through  the  Os  Eth- 
moidcs,  or  sieve-like  bone,  the  cavity  at  length  is  filled 
therewith,  Avhere  obstructing  the  animal  spirits  near  their 
centre,  an  Apoplexy  is  infallibly  induced ;  and  I  am  con- 
fident more  people  have  died  of  Apoplexies  in  one  year, 
since  the  use  of  this  Snitsh,  than  have  died  of  that  disease 
in  an  hundred  before  the  use  thereof;  and  ?nost^  if  not 
all,  who  I  have  observed  to  die  of  late  of  that  disease,  were 
S2ich  as  were  extreme  and  constant  Smtsh-takers.''''j^ 

The  great  virtues  of  a  Pipe,  taken  in  the  morning  fast- 
ing, are,  says  Mr.  Jones,  extolled  \>j  many;  "because,'* 
say  they,  "it  pumps  up  a  quantity  of  cold  phlegm  from 
the  stomach."  Not  to  insist,  that  nothing  can  be  taken 
out  of  the  stomach  but  by  vomiting;  let  it  be  observed, 
that  the  substance  Avhich  is  forcibly  hawked  up  by  many 
who  have  acquired  this  most  disgustful  habit,  is  the  mu-^ 


*  While  the  reader  doubts  of  Mr.  S 's  Theory,  he  may 

credit  his  Facts. 
\  Salmon's  Druggist's  Shop,  p-  1141,  London,  1693. 


A  DISSERTATION    ON    TOBACCO.  227 

cus  secreted  by  the  tonsils  to  lubricate  and  defend  the 
CEsophagiis;  together  with  the  saliva  which  is  secreted 
by  the  sublingual,  parotid,  and  submaxillary  glands."* 
And  .his  mucus  and  saliva  are  not  less  requisite  in  their  re- 
spective places,  than  the  blood  itself;  as  they  arc  not  only 
absolutely  necessary  for  the  defence  of  the  parts  already 
mentioned,  but  also  for  the  important  purpose  of  diges- 
tion :  wliich,  if  not  properly  promoted,  and  carried  on,  the 
body  cannot  long  continue  in  a  healthy  state.  Every 
medical  man  knows  well,  that  the  Saliva,  Avhich  is  so  co- 
piously drained  off  by  the  infamous  Quid,  and  tlie  scan- 
dalous Pipe,  is  the  first  and  greatest  agent  which  nature 
employs  in  digesting  the  food.  See  Tissot  on  Palsy,  Szc. 
p.  123. 

But  is  the  elegant  Snuff-box  as  dangerous  as  the  Pipe 
and  the  Qjiid?  Let  us  hear  evidence.  "  The  least  evil," 
says  Mr.  De  Bomare,  "  which  you  can  expect  it  to  pro- 
duce, is  to  diy  up  the  brain,  emaciate  the  body,  enfeeble 
the  memory,  and  destroy,  if  not  entirely,  yet  in  a  large 
measure,  the  delicate  sense  of  smelling." 

"  Common  Snuff,"  says  a  sensible  medical  Practitioner, 
(whose  opinion  on  the  subject  lies  now  before  me,)  "  in 
habitual  Snuff-takers,  has  been  found  to  penetrate  into 
the  Sinuses^  communicating  with  the  nose,  and  into  the 
Antrum  Highmorianum,^  where  it  has  formed   horrid 


*  See  Jones's  Medical  Vulvar  Errors  refuted,  p.  91 .  A  Work 
of  considerable  merit,  necessary  to  every  family,  which  I  am 
glad  I  have  this  opportunity  of  recommending  to  my  readers. 
London,  Cadell  and  Davis,  1797. 

f  Sinus,  in  Anatomy,  denotes  a  cavity  in  certain  bones  and 
other  places,  the  entrance  whereof  is  very  narrow,  and  the  hot* 
torn  wider  and  more  spacious. 

i  Jlntrum  ffi^hmorianum,  a  cavitf  within  the  upper  jaw'- 
bone. 


228  A    DISSERTATION   ON   TOBACCO. 

Abscesses :  it  is  often  carried  down  into  the  stomach,  and 
toy  the  use  of  it,  the  skin  is  tinged  of  a  pale  brown  co- 
lour."*.... This  is  sufficiently  evident  in  all  Snuff-takers. 
The  most  delicate  females  have  theu-  complexion  entirely 
ruined  by  it.  Strange!  that  the  Smiff-hox  should  be 
deemed  too  great  a  sacrifice  for  thai,  for  which  most  peo- 
ple are  ready  to  sacrifice  everything  beside!... .Many  ca- 
ses have  been  observed  where  the  appetite  has  been  al- 
most destroyed,  and  a  consumption  brought  on,  by  the 
immoderate  use  of  this  powder. 

I  heartily  wish  the  Corporation  of  Surgeons  and  other 
Anatomists,  would  procure  as  many  bodies  of  habitual 
Smokers  and  Snuff-takers  as  possible,  that  being  dissect- 
ed, we  might  know  how  far  that  ever-to-be-dreaded  evil 
prevails,  which  J.  Borrhi  in  SiluetieY to Bartholine,  says, 
happened  to  the  brain  of  an  immoderate  Smoker,  which 
on  dissection  was  found  dried  and  shrivelled  up  by  his 
excessive  use  of  the  Pipe  !  See  Chambers's  Cyclopaedia, 
Dr.  Rees's  edition,  article  Tobacco. 

In  one  of  the  German  literary  Journals  several  cases 
are  mentioned  of  Vertis^o^  Blindness,  and  Paralysis^  oc- 
casioned by  the  immoderate  use  of  this  herb. 

The  use  of  it  as  an  emetic^  for  which  some  have  plead- 
ed, is  extremely  dangerous,  as  it  has  often  occasioned  al- 
most intolerable  cardialgic  atixieties,  violent  vomitings, 
and  stupidity. 

Mr.  Bomarc  informs  us,  that  it  has  been  employed  as 
a  remedy  in  lethargic  swoonings:  and  the  patient  has 
been  restored  to  sensibility,  only  to  be  racked  by  a  more 
dreadful  disorder.  Convulsions,  accompanied  ^vith  vo- 
mitings, cold  sweats,  and  a  feeble  and  intermitting  pulse, 
with  other  dreadful  symptoms,  have  been  the  consequence 


Jones's  Medical  Vulf^ar  Errors  refuted,  p.  90- 


A   DISSERTATION    ON    TOBACCO.  229 

of  its  use  in  the  above  cases.  If  It  be  so  dangerous, 
Avlien  employed  as  a  leniody  in  soporific  aflections,  '\*hat 
evil  may  not  be  expected  from  it  uhen  used  constantly, 
immoderately,  and  without  any  corrective  ? 

Under  tlie  article  Torpor  PancrcaUs,  Dr.  Darwin 
observes,  "  I  saw  Avhat  I  conjectured  to  be  a  tumour  of 
the  Pancreas,  with  indigestion,  and  which  terminated  in 
the  death  of  the  patient.  lie  had  been  for  many  years 
a  great  consumer  of  Tobacco^  insomuch  that  he  chetved 
tha(  noxious  drug  all  the  morning,  and  smok  d  it  all  tlie 
afternoon.  As  the  secretion  from  the  Pancreas  resembles 
saliva  in  its  general  appearance,  and  probably  in  its  of- 
fice of  assisting  digestion,  by  preventing  the  fermenta- 
tion of  the  aliment,  there  is  reason  to  suspect  that  a 
sympathy  may  exist  betAveen  the  salivary  and  pancreatic 
crlands ;  and  that  the  perpetual  stimulus  of  the  former  hf 
Tobacco,  might  in  process  of  tiriie  injure  the  latter." 
ZoouQjnia,  vol.  2.  p.  80.  4to.  edition. 

"  The  unwise  custom  of  chewing  and  smoking  Tobac- 
co for  many  hours  in  the  day,  not  only  injures  the  sali- 
vary glands,  producing  diyness  in  the  mouth  Avhen  this 
drug  is  not  used,  but  I  suspect  that  it  also  produces  scliir- 
rhus  of  the  Pancreas.  Tiie  use  of  Tobacco  in  this  im- 
moderate degree  injures  the  poAver  of  digestion,  by  occa- 
sioning the  patient  to  spit  out  that  saliva  Avhich  he  ouffht 
to  swalloAv^;  and  hence  produces  that  flatulency  Avhich 
tlie  vulgar  unfortunately  take  it  to  prcA^ent."  Ibid.  p.  701. 

That  it  is  unfriendly  to  animal  life  may  be  variously 
proved.  A  poultice  of  it  laid  to  the  pit  of  the  stomach,^ 
proves  dreadfully  emetic  in  a  short  time.  The  folloAV- 
ing  case  I  think  awful,  and  insert  here  as  a  Avarning  to 
those  Avhom  it  ffiay  concern.  A  Physician  of  my  ac- 
quaintance was  sent  for  to  see  a  girl  of  about  seven  years 
of  age,  grievously  tormented  Avith  spasms  in  lier  stomach, 
and  inces-sant  vomitings.  Various  means  Avere  used  to 
u 


230  A   DISSERTATION   ON    TOBACCO, 

relieve  her,  but  without  success ;  nor  could  the  cause  of 
the  complaint  be  found  out  for  a  considerable  time ;  (the 
child,  till  her  sudden  seizure  with  the  vomitings,  had 
been  in  perfect  health.)  At  last  the  sniell  arising  from 
the  breath  and  head  of  the  cliild  led  to  a  detection  of  the 
cause.  The  girl  had  what  is  termed  by  some  a  sore  or 
broken-out  head,  (scahies ;)  to  cure  and  cleanse  it,  her 
mother  had  that  day  made  an  ointment  of  butter  and 
Snuff,  and  applied  it  to  the  place.  This  was  found  to  be 
the  sole  cause  of  those  violent  retchings,  which  had  near- 
ly put  a  period  to  the  child's  life ! 

A  person  of  my  acquaintance,  who  had  been  an  immo- 
derate Snuff-taker  for  upAvards  of  forty  years,  was  fre- 
quently afflicted  with  a  sudden  suppression  of  breathing, 
occasioned  from  a  paralytic  state  of  the  muscles  which 
serve  for  respiration ;  these  affections  grew  more  and  more 
alarming,  and  seriously  threatened  her  life.  The  only 
relief  she  got  in  such  cases  was  from  a  cup  of  cold  water 
poured  down  her  throat.  This  became  so  necessary  to 
her,  that  she  could  never  venture  to  attend  even  a  place 
of  public  worship  without  having  a  small  vessel  of  water 
with  her,  and  a  friend  at  hand  to  administer  it !  At  last 
she  left  off  Snuff;  the  muscles  re-acquired  their  proper 
tone,  and  in  a  short  time  after  she  was  entirely  cured  of 
a  disorder  occasioned  solely  by  her  attachment  to  the 
Snuff-box,  and  to  which  she  had  nearly  fallen  a  martyr ! 

The  poisonous  nature  of  the  oil  of  this  plant  lias  been 
observed  by  several,  and  paiticularly  by  Fontana,  in  the 
following  experiments,  who  ranks  this  herb  with  the  ve* 
getable  poisons.  1.  "I  made  (sa}*s  he)  a  small  incision 
in  a  pigeon's  leg,  and  applied  to  it  tlie  oil  of  Tobacco.  In 
two  minutes  it  lost  the  use  of  its  foot.  2".  I  repeated  this 
experiment  on  another  pigeon,  and  the  event  w  as  exactly 
the  same.  3.  I  made  a  small  Avound  in  the  pectoral 
muscles  of  a  pigeon,  and  applied  the  oU  to  it ;  in  three 


A   DISSERTATION   ON    TOBACCO.  231 

minutes  the  animal  could  no  longer  support  itself  on  its 
left  foot.  4.  This  experiment  repeated  on  another  pi 
seon  ended  the  same  Avay.  5.  I  introduced  into  the  pec- 
toral muscles  of  a  pigeon  a  small  bit  of  wood  covered 
witli  this  oil;  tlic  pigeon  in  a  few  seconds  fell  insensible. 
6.  Two  other  pigeons  to  whose  muscles  I  applied  this 
oil  vomited  several  times  all  that  they  had  eaten.  7. 
Two  others  Avith  empty  stomachs,  treated  as  above,  made 
all  possible  efTorts  to  vomit."  Fontana  observes,  that 
vomiting  was  the  most  constant  effect  of  this  oil.*.. ..Va- 
rious other  experiments  prove,  that  an  application  of  this 
herb,  in  almost  any  form,  will  produce  this  effect.  Che- 
mists observe,  that  Tobacco  leaves,  distilled  in  a  retort 
without  addition,  yield  an  acrid  empyreumatic  poisonous 
oil.  Kcempfcr  also  ranks  it  with  the  strong  vegetable 
poisons.     Amoenitat.  Exot.  p.  640. 

Not  need  we  wonder  at  the  above,  when  it  is  known 
that  a  single  drop  of  the  chemical  oil  of  Tobacco,  being 
put  on  the  tongue  of  a  Cat,proJuced  violent  convulsions, 
and  killed  her  in  the  space  of  one  minute.  A  thread 
dipped  in  the  same  oil,  and  drawn  through  a  wound  made 
by  a  needle  in  an  animal,  killed  it  in  the  space  of  seven 
minutes.f  Indeed  the  strong  caustic  oil  and  acrid  salt 
which  are  contained  in  it,  must  produce  evil  effects  be- 
yond calculation. 

These  facts  which  are  well  authenticated,  may  suffice ; 

and  taken  into  connexion  with  that  Avord  Avhich  says 

Thou  shall  do  NO  murder^  should  deter  every  person 
who  Avishes  Avell  to  his  body  and  his  soul,  from  the  (at 
least  immoderate)  use  of  this  herb. 

That  it  is  sinful  to  use  it  as  most  do,  I  have  no  doubt; 
if  destroying  the  constitution,  and  vilely  squandering 

*  Fontana  on  poisons,  vol.  2.  Edit.  1795. 
t  Jones's  Medical  Errors  refuted,  page  90. 


232  A   DISSEBTATION    ON    TOBACCO. 

away  the  Time  and  Money  ^\\\ch  God  has  given  for 
other  purposes,  may  be  termed  sinful. 

Many  persons  I  have  known,  wlio  M-ei-e  scarcely  able 
to  procure  the  necessaries  of  life,  and  yet  by  sacrificing 
health  and  decency,  have  made  a  shift  to  procure  the 
daily  quantum  sujficil  of  Tobacco.  I  have  observed 
some  whole  families,  and  very  poor  ones  too,  who  have 
used  Tobaeco  in  all  possible  ways,  and  some  of  them  for 
more  than  half  a  century.  Now  supposing^  the  a^  hole  fa- 
mily, consisting  of  four,  five,  or  six,  to  have  used  but  l6\ 
6^/.  Avorth  in  a  week,  then,  in  the  mere  article  of  Tobac- 
co, nearly  200Z.  sterling  is  totally  and  iiTCCoverably  lost, 
in  the  course  of  fifty  years!*  AVere  all  the  expenses  at- 
tending this  business  enumerated,  probably  five  times  the 
sum  in  several  cases  would  not  be  too  large  an  estimate ; 
especially  if  strong  drink,  its  general  concomitant,  neglect 
of  business,  and  appropriate  utensils,  be  taken  into  the 
account-t  Can  any  who  profess  to  call  themselves  Chris- 
tians vindicate  their  conduct  in  this  respect? 

A  pious  Clergyman  lately  told  me,  that  he  had  a  num- 
ber of  very  poor  families  in  his  parish  immoderately  at- 

*  To  say  nothins^  of  the  power  of  Money  to  Increase  its  va- 
lue almost  beyond  credibility  by  Coinpound  Interest^  in  which 
case  the  above  weekly  consumption  would  amount  in  50  years  to 
upwards  of  800/.  sterling',  and  in  54  years  to  upwards  of  1000/. 

•\  My  Estimate  here  may  be  deemed  by  some  rather  exorbi- 
tant, but  liov/  little  is  it  in  comparison  of  that  of  our  noble 
King  James  !  *'  Now,  how  you  are  by  this  custom  disabled  in 
vour  goods,  let  the  gentry  of  this  land  bear  witness,  some  of 
them  bestowing  three,  some  Jour  Imndred  pounds  a  year,  upon 
this  precious  stink."     Countcrhtast,  p  10.  1672. 

See  also  Mr.  A.  du  Perron,  Zemd-A vesta,  vol.  I.  pt.  1.  p. 
415,  418.  for  the  costliness  of  Smoking  Apparatus,  and  for 
other  curious  pai'ticulars  relative  to  this  practice  among  the 
. Asiatics. 


A  DISSERTATION   ON    TOBACCO.  233 

tached  to  the  use  of  Tobacco.  He  plainly  saw  that  a 
large  proportion  of  their  daily  earnings  was  destroyed  ia 
this  way.  He  warned  them  in  private,  and  preached  in 
public  against  it,  but  few  of  them  had  resolution  enough 
to  lay  it  aside. 

The  expense  of  one  very  poor  family  in  Snuff  and  To- 
bacco he  calculated,  and  found  it  to  amount  to  nearly  one 
third  part  of  their  yearly  earnings! 

But  the  loss  of  time  in  this  shameful  work  is  a  serious 
evil:  I  have  known  some  who,  (strange  to  tell!)  have 
smoked  three  or  four  hours  in  the  day,  by  their  own  con- 
fession :  and  others  Avho  have  spent  six  hours  in  the  same 
employment !  How  can  such  persons  answer  for  this  at 
the  Bar  of  God  ?  "  But  it  is  prescribed  to  me  by  a  Phy- 
sician." No  man  who  values  his  character  as  a  Physi- 
cian will  ever  prescribe  it  in  this  way.  Whatever  good 
effects  may  be  attributed  even  to  a  moderate  use  of  it, 
can  be  produced  by  medicines  of  a  more  cleanly  and  less 
dangerous  rfature.  As  to  snuff,  all  its  good  effects,  says 
Mr.  De  Bomare,  may  be  much  better  procured  by  pow- 
der of  Betony,  Sage,  or  Marjoram.  If  it  be  taken  as  a 
Sternutative,  or  Medicine  to  cause  sneezing,  it  should  be 
taken  very  seldom,  or  it  will  lose  its  effect ;  and  if  it  should 
not,  who,  for  the  sake  of  redeeming  his  head  from  some 
occasional  trifling  inconvenience,  would  consent  to  have 
his  body  thrown  into  continual  convulsions! 

"  But  it  has  done  me  good."  Perhaps  it  has ;  so  has 
an  Emetic :  but  will  you  infer  thence,  that  the  coiistant 
use  of  it  is  necessary  ?  If  you  do,  be  consistent  with 
yourself,  and  the  very  next  time  you  need  an  Emetic,  be 
sure  to  repeat  it  every  hour  as  long  as  you  live. 

I  grant  that  a  person  who  is  brought  under  the  domi- 
nion of  the  Pipe  or  the  Stniff-box,  may  feel  great  uneasi- 
ness in  attempting  to  leave  it  off,  and  get  some  medical  man, 
tJuough  a  false  pity^  or  for  moncy^  to  prescribe  the  con, 
V  2. 


234  A  DISSERTATION   ON    TOBACCO. 

tinued  use  of  it;  but  this  does  not  vindicate  it :  and  tlie 
person  who  prescribes  thus  is  not  to  be  trusted ;  he  is  ei- 
tlier  without  principle  or  without  skill. 

*'  A  mere  Licentiate  without  knowledge, 
The  shame  and  scandal  of  the  College.** 

An  eminent  Physician,  with  whose  acquaintance  and 
friendsliip  I  am  honoured,  gave  me  lately  the  following 

account...."  When  I  was  in  L ,  in  the  year  1789,  a 

certain  religious  people,  at  one  of  their  annual  meetings, 
made  a  Rule,  or  rather  revived  one,  which  had  been  long 
before  made  and  established  among  them  by  their  venerable 
Founder,  but  had  been  in  a  great  measure  lost  sight  of,  viz. 
That  no  Minister  in  their  Connexion  should  2tse  Snuff'  or 
Tobacco,  unless  prescribed  by  a  Physician.  This  Rule 
shewed  at  once  bqth  their  prudence  and  good  sense.  To- 
wards the  conclusion  of  the  meeting,  having  offered  my  as- 
sistance to  as  many  as  stood  in  need  of  medical  help,  se- 
veral of  them  consulted  me  on  the  subject  of  taking  To- 
hacco  in  one  form  or  other;  and  with  very  little  variation, 
their  mode  of  address  was  as  follows :  '  Doctor,  I  am 
troubled  very  frequently  with  such  a  complaint,  (naming 
it.)  I  take  Tobacco,  and  have  found  great  benefit  from 
the  use  of  it.... I  am  sure  were  I  to  give  it  up,  I  should 
be  very  ill  indeed ;  and  I  am  certain,  that  you  are  too 
vise  and  too  skilful  a  man  to  desire  me  to  discontinue  a 
practice  which  has  been  so  beneficial  to  me.'  After  such 
an  address,  what  could  I  say  ?  It  was  spoken  with  seri- 
ous concern,  and  was  properly  argumentum  ad  homi- 
nem :  I  knew  well  they  were  sincere,  but  I  knew  also 
they  were  deceived ;  however,  to  the  major  part  oi  them 
I  ventured  to  speak  thus :  *  Gentlemen,  you  certainly  do 
me  honour  in  the  confidence  you  repose  in  my  skill ;  but 
you  have  brought  me  into  a  dilemma,  fi*om  which  I  can- 
not easily  extricate  myself  j  as  I  find  I  must  either  say  as 


JL  DISSERTATION   ON   TOBACCO.  235 

you  say  on  the  subject,  or  else  renounce  all  pretensions 
to  wisdom  and  medical  skill.  However,  I  cannot  in  con- 
cience  and  honour  prescribe  to  you  the  continued  use  of 
a  thing  which  I  know  does  many  of  you  immense  hurt.' " 

I  should  be  glad  to  know,  whether  these  Ministers,  af- 
ter the  Rule  passed  at  their  meetiog,  and  the  remonstrance 
of  the  Physician,  continue  to  indulge  themselves  in  this 
disgraceful  employment  ? 

But  the  religious  people  mentioned  above,  are  not  the 
only  persons  who  have  published  Edicts  against  this  de- 
structive practice.  Amurath  the  IV.  Emperor  of  the 
Turks,  the  Tzar  of  Muscovi/,  and  Shah  Abbas  King  of 
Persia,*  apprehensiv^e  of  the  evils  which  were  likely  to 
be  occasioned  in  the  constitutions  and  properties  of  their 
subjects,  forbad  the  use  of  Tobacco  in  their  dominions,  on 
pain  of  death  :....only  the  penalty  in  case  of  SnufF-taking 
was,  to  have  the  Nose  cut  off.\  It  is  Avell  known  that 
James  the  First,  King  of  England,  WTOte  a  Treatise  ex- 


*  Shah  Abbas  the  Greaty  having  prohibited  the  use  of  it 
to  his  subjects  on  pain  of  death,  the  criminals  were  found  in 
such  numbers  that  the  Emperor,  through  motives  of  humanity, 
was  obliged  to  reverse  the  Law,  and  to  save  the  lives  of  thou- 
sands from  the  sword  of  justice,  was  graciously  pleased  to  per- 
mit it  to  be  sown  and  used  publicly. — Gazophylaciutn  Ling. 
Persar.  p.  427.  But  the  Emperor  Jehangeer,  in  1617,  prohi- 
bited the  use  of  it  in  every  part  of  his  dominions,  because  it 
was  found  prejudical  to  the  health  of  his  subjects-  See  Glad- 
v}m*s  Hist,  of  Jehangeer,  Calcutta,  1788.  p.  41.  Tobacco  had 
been  known  but  a  few  years  before  this  in  Hindostan..    Ibid. 

•{•  See  Dictionnaire  Universetle,  &c.  de  Bomare,  under  the 
Article  A'lcotiane. — The  Turkish  Emperor  prohibited  the  use 
of  it,  from  a  supposition  that  it  rendered  his  subjects  «w^«j>- 


230  A  DISSERTATION   ON  TOBACCO. 

pressly  against  smoking,  &c.  called,  A  Counterblast  ta 
Tobacco.*' 

Simon  Paulli,  Physician  to  the  King  of  Denmai-k,  has 
also  written  a  Treatise  on  the  danger  of  using  this  herb ; 
and  observes,  (which  I  quote  for  the  sake  of  those  Avho 
retain  any  sentiment  of  delicacy  on  this  subject,)  That 
the  Merchants  frequently  lay  it  in  Bog-houses,  to  the  end 
that,  becoming  impregnated  with  the  volatile  salt  of  the 
excrements,  it  may  be  vernier ed  brisker,  stronger,  and 
more  fmtid.\ 

In  1 639,  the  Corporation  of  Apothecaries  of  the  City 
of  Clermont,  probably  supposing  that  gieat  good  might  be 
done  to  themselves  or  otliers,  by  uniting  this  plant  to  the 
Materia  JNIedica,  applied  to  the  Court  of  Excise  for  per- 
mission to  cultivate  Tobacco  in  their  gardens  for  medical 


*  Some  time  after  the  British  King  had  condescended  to  en- 
ter  the  lists  with  the  Tobacco-consumers  of  his  day,  Mr,  Jo- 
seph Sylvester  wrote  a  Poem  which  he  dedicated  to  Villiersy 
Duke  of  Buckingham,  with  the  following  quaint  Title,  "  To- 
bacco battered^  and  the  Pipes  shattered  C about  their  ears  that 
idly  idolize  so  base  and  barbarous  a  Weed,'  or  at  least-Hxise  over- 
love  so  loathsome  a  vanity  f  J  By  a  'oolley  of  Holy  Shot  froin. 
Mount  Helicon.^*  This  Piece  contains  some  unanswerable  ar- 
guments against  this  detestable  practice,  expressed  in  a  sort 
of  verse  equal  to  most  of  the  Poetry  of  that  time.  Printed 
with  his  translation  of  Du  Bartas,  Lond,on,  1641. 

\  A  dealer  in  this  Article  once  acknowledged  to  me,  that 
he  sprinkled  his  Holls  and  Xert/"  fi'cquently  with  stale  Urine  \.o 
keep  them  moist,  and  to  preserve  the  flavour  !  A  friend  of 
mine  whose  curiosity  led  him  to  see  Tobacco-spinning,  observ- 
ed that  tlie  boys  who  opened  out  the  di^  plants,  had  a  vessel  of 
Urine  by  them,  with  which  tliey  moistened  the  leaves,  to  pre- 
pare them  for  the  spinner  !  Do  the  Tohncco-chewers  know  this, 
and  yet  continue  in  tliis  most  abominable  and  disgraceful  prac- 
tice ?  Can  any  person  think  of  the  above  ivipune^  with  a  ^uid 
in  bis  mouth  \ 


A  Dissertation  on  tobacco.  237 

purposes,   under  the   name    Nicotia.     But   the    Court, 
whether  actuated  by  motives  of  humanity  or  commerce, 
fortunately  passed  an  Arret,  bearirjj:^  date,  June  28, 1 689, 
"Forbidding  the  Apothecaries  of  Clermont,  or  of  any 
other  place  to  so\r  any  Tobacco  in  their  grounds  under 
the  name  Nicotia  or  any  other,  on  pain  of  confiscation,  and 
a  fine  of  1000  livres."*     What  a  singidar  mercy  Avas  this ! 
Had  the  use  of  it  become  common  in  Medicine,  how 
many  thousands  must  have  been  its  victims  ere  this  time ! 
The  impiety  manifested  by  several  in  the  use  of  tliis 
herb,  merits  the  most  cutting  reproof.     When  many  of  the 
Tobacco-consumers  get  into  trouble,  or  under  any  cross 
or  affliction,  instead  of  looking  to  God  for  support;  the. 
Pipe^  tlie  Snuff-hox,  or  the  Twist,  is  applied  to  with  quad- 
ruple earnestness;    so  that  four  times,  (I   might  say  in 
some  cases  ten  times,)  the  usual  quantity,  is  consumed  on 
such  occasions.  What  a  comfort  is  this  weed  in  time  of  sor- 
row !  what  a  support  in  time  of  trouble !  In  a  Avord,  w  hat 
a  god! 

Again,  the  interruption  occasioned  in  places  of  public 
worship  by  the  use  of  the  Snuff-box,  is  a  matter  of  seri- 
ous concern  to  all  those  Avho  are  not  guilty.  When  the 
most  solemn  and  important  matters  relative  to  God  and 
man,  eternal  glory  and  eternal  ruin,  form  the  subject  of  a 
Preacher's  discourse,  Avhose  verj^soul  is  in  hisAvork;  it  is 
DO  unusual  thing  to  see  the  Snuff-box  taken  out,  and  offi- 
ciously handed  about  to  half  a  dozen  of  Persons  on  the 
same  seat.. ..Would  there  not  be  as  much  propriety  in 
bringing  forth  and  distributing  some  of  the  common  ne- 
cessaries of  life  ?  "  But  Ave  do  not  go  to  the  house  of  God 
to  take  our  victuals. '  Neither  should  you  to  take  phy- 
sic. 


*  See  ExcYCLOPEDiE  METHODi(i.uE,  FiiianccSi  Tom.  iii. 
Art.  Tabac. 


238  A   DISSERTATION   ON    TOBACCO. 

]N"ever  did  Pope  XJrhan  the  VIII.  act  more  like  aa 
Apostolic  man,  than  when  he  made  a  Bull  to  excommuni- 
cate all  those  vrho  took  Tobacco  in  the  Churches. 

To  the  great  scandal  of  religious  people,  the  abomina- 
ble customs  of  Snuff-taking  and  Chewing  have  made  their 
H'ay  into  many  Congregations :  and  are  likely  to  be  pro- 
ducti\  e  of  immense  evil.  Churches  and  Chapels  are  most 
scandalously  abused  by  the  Tobacco-chewers  "vvho  fre- 
quent them:  and  kneeling  before  the  Supreme  Being, 
"which  is  so  becoming  and  necessary  when  sinners 
approach  their  Maker  in  prayer,  is  rendered  in  many 
seats  impracticable,  because  of  the  large  quantity  of  To- 
bacco saliva^  which  is  ejected  in  all  dii-ections. 

The  Indians  of  South  America  make  extensive  offer- 
ings of  this  herb  to  their  gods,  and  think  it  the  most  ac- 
ceptable present  they  can  make  them,  in  order  to  ensure 
their  protection.  Was  it  from  them  that  these  Christians 
have  learned  to  introduce  it  into  places  of  public  worship  ? 
Surely  they  do  not  use  the  Smff-hox  and  the  Quid  as  a 
part  of  a  religious  ceremony.. ..Some  indeed  have  been  so 
candid  as  to  acknowledge  that,  "  though  they  did  not  use 
it  as  such,  yet  they  took  it  as  a  help  to  theii'  devotion  !"* 
O  earth!  earth !  earth!...."!  cannot,"  says  one,  "hear  to 


*  I  know  one  case  only,  in  which  ihe  use  of  SnufF  seems 
to  be  innocent.  A  very  pious  woman  of  my  acquaintance  is 
obliged  (as  she  thinks)  to  have  recourse  to  it  sometimes,  for  a 
kind  of  lethargic  affection  of  her  head,  by  which  she  is  often 
afflicted  :  but  let  it  be  observed,  she  takes  it  merely  as  a  medi- 
cine, and  uses  only  one  half-penny  loorth  in  a  month.  All  such 
persons  I  cordially  exempt  from  every  censure  contained  in 
this  Pamphlet. 

N.  B.  Since  the  first  Editioff  of  this  Pamphlet  was  publish- 
ed, the  above  person  has  totallv  left  off  the  use  of  this  powder, 
and  has  not  suffered  the  slig-htest  inconvenience  in  conse- 
quence of  the  sacrifice  she  has  made. 


A   DISSERTATION   ON    TOBACCO.  239 

any  advantage  without  it ;  it  quickens  my  attention,  and 
then  I  profit  most  by  the  Sermon."  I  am  inclined  to 
think  there  is  some  truth  in  this :  and  such  persons  exactly 
resemble  those  who  have  habituatt  d  themselves  to  fre- 
quent doses  of  Opium ;  who,  from  the  well  known  eirect 
of  too  free  a  use  of  this  drug,  are  in  a  continual  torpor, 
except  for  a  short  time  after  each  dose.  Thus  they  are 
obliged  to  have  constant  recourse  to  a  stimulant,  which  in 
proportion  to  its  use  increases  the  disease. 

I  cannot  help  adding,  that  I  have  heard  just  the  same 
sort  of  reason  given  for  taking  a  dram  before  divine  ser- 
vice; "I  am  in  a  better  spirit  for  hearing,  have  a  more 
tender  heart,  and  a  better  recollection  of  what  I  have 
heard,  when  I  take  a  little  brandy  or  gin  before  hand." 

Such  persons  as  these  are  utterly  unfit  to  appear  in  the 
house  of  God  ;  and  sufficiently  prove  that  they  are  Avhol- 
ly  destitute  of  the  spirit  of  piety,  and  of  a  sense  of  their 
spiritual  wants,  when  they  stand  in  need  of  such  excite- 
ments to  help  their  devotion.  He  can  have  no  pity  for 
the  wretched,  who  does  not  lift  up  his  soul  in  prayer  to 
God  in  behalf  of  such  miserable  people. 

But  are  not  many  led  into  this  practice  of  smoking  by 
their  Pastors  ?  I  am  sorry  to  have  it  to  say,  that  this 
idle  disgraceful  custom  prevails  much  at  present  among 
Ministers  of  most  denominations.  Can  such  persons 
preach  against  needless  self-indulgence,  destruction  of 
time,  or  Avaste  of  money  ?  These  men  greatly  injure  their 
OAvn  usefulness :  they  smoke  away  their  ministerial  im- 
portance in  the  families  where  they  occasionally  visit : 
the  very  children  and  maid-servants  pass  their  jokes  on 
the  piping  parson  ;  and  should  they  unluckily  succeed  in 
bringing  over  the  uninfected  to  *Juir  vile  custom,  the  evil 
is  doubled.  I  have  known  serious  misunderstandings  pro- 
duced in  certain  families  where  the  example  of  the  Idk 


240  A   DISSERTATION    ON    TOB\CCO. 

F arson  lias  influenced  a  husband  or  wife,  against  the  con- 
sent oitlie  other,  to  adopt  the  use  of  the  Pipe  or  the  Snuff- 
box. 

Should  ail  other  arguments  fail  to  produce  a  reforma- 
tion in  the  conduct  ol  Tobiicco-con.  umers,  there  is  one 
wliich  is  addressed  to  good-breeiiing  and  henevolcnce^ 
which  for  thesakeof;7o/?-tWC5.sand  Immanity  should  pre- 
vail. Considi^r  how  disagreeable  your  ciiMom  is  to  those 
AV'ho  do  not  loiiow  it.  An  Atmosphere  of  Tobacco  ef- 
fluvia surrounds  you  w  hithersoever  you  go.  Every  arti- 
cle about )  ou  smells  of  it;  your  apartments,  your  clothes, 
and  even  your  very  breath.  IN^or  is  there  a  smell  in  na- 
ture more  disagreeable  than  that  of  stale  Tobacco,  aris- 
ing in  warm  exhalations  irom  the  human  body,  rendered 
still  more  offensive  by  passing  through  the  pores,  and  be- 
coming strongly  impregnated  A\ith  that  noxious  matter 
which  was  before  Tnsensibly  perspired. 

Consider  what  pain  your  frier. ds  may  be  put  to  in  stand- 
ing near  you,  in  order  to  consult  you  on  some  important 
business,  or  to  be  improved  by  your  conversation.  Will 
you  oblige  them  to  pay  so  heavy  a  tax  for  the  benefit  of 
vour  advice,  when  it  would  have  been  more  honourable 
to  yourself,  and  comfortable  to  them,  to  have  had  that 
gratification  in  a  less  expensive  way.  I  cannot  help  say- 
ing, that  I  have  often  suffered  a  very  painful  nauFea  from 
the  cause  above  assigned,  and....OQ,whichI  will  dilate  no 
farther. 

To  those  who  are  not  yet  incorporated  with  the  fa- 
shionable company  of  Tobacco-consumers,  I  would  say, 
Ne>:cr  enter.  To  those  who  are  entered,  I  would  say, 
Desist.  First;  For  the  sake  of  yoiiv  heallh,  which  must 
be  materially  injured,  if  not  destroyed  by  it.  Secondly; 
For  the  sake  o{  your  property,  which,  if  you  are  a  poor 
man,  must  be  considerably  impaired  by  it.    But  suppos- 


X  DISSERTATION   ON   TOBACCO.  241 

iDg  you  can  afTord  this  extra  expense ;  consider,  how  ac- 
ceptable the  pence  (to  go  no  farther)  which  you  spend  in 
this  idle  unnecessary  employment,  would  be  to  many, 
who  are  often  destitute  of  bread ;  and  to  whom  one  penny 
would  sometimes  be  as  an  Angel  of  God.    Thirdly  ;  For 
the  sake  of  your  time^  a  large  portion  of  which  is  irrepa- 
rably lost,  particularly  in  smoking.     Have  you  any  time 
to  dispose  of.... to  murder  ?  Is  there  no  need  of  prayer.... 
readiug....study  ?  Fourthly :  For  the  sake  oiyonr friends^ 
who  cannot  fail  to  be  pained  in  your  company,  for  the 
reasons  before  assigned.     Fifthly :  for  the  sake  of  your 
voice^  which  a  continuance  in  Snuff-taking  will  infallibly 
ruin,  as  the  nasal  passages  are  almost  enthrely  obliterated 
by  it.     Sixthly :  For  the  sake  of  your  memory^  that  it 
may  be  vigorous  and  retentive ;  and  for  the  sake  of  your 
judgment,  that  it  may  be  clear  and  correct  to  the  end. 
Lastly:   For  the  sake  of  your  soul.... Ho  you  not  think 
that  God  will  visit  you  for  your  loss  of  time,  waste  of 
money,  and  needless  self-indulgence  ?  Have  you  not  seen 
that  the  use  of  Tobacco  leads  to  drunkenness  ?   Do  you 
not  know  that  habitual  smokers  have  the  drinking  vessel 
often  at  hand,  and  frequently  apply  to  it  ?   ISTor  is  it  any 
wonder,  for  the  gi-eat  quantity  of  necessary  moisture 
which  is  drawn  off  from  the  mouth,  &c.  by  these  means, 
must  be  supplied  some  other  way.     You  tremble  at  the 
thought;  well  you  may,  for  you  are  in  great  danger; 
may  God  look  upon,  and  save  you  before  it  be  too  late ! 
It  was  this  view  of  the  subject  that  led  Mr.  Sylvester  to 
imagine,  that  the  plant  derived  its  name  from  BacchiL^, 
the  heathen  god  of  the  drunkards. 

**  Which  of  their  weapons  hath  the  conquest  got. 
Over  their  vjits  :   the  Pipe  or  else  the  Pot  ? 
Fur  even  the  derivation  of  the  name 
Seems  to  allude  to,  and  include  the  same  ; 
X 


242'  A  DISSERTATION   ON   TOBACCO. 

Tobacco,  as  T<y  Bak^m  one  would  say; 
To  cup-god  Bacchus  dedicated  ay-"* 

It  is  with  pain  of  heart  that  I  am  obliged  to. say,  I  have 
kiiown  several  who  through  theu*  immoderate  attachment 
to  the  Pipe,  have  become  mere  sots.  There  are  others 
who  are  walking  unconcernedly  in  the  same  dangerous 
road....I  tremble  for  them.  Should  this  fall  into  their 
hands,  may  they  receive  it  as  a  warning  from  God  ! 

"  But  I  take  (says  one)  only  a  little  now  and  then  in 
complaisance  to  otliei-s."  Then  you  will  soon  be  as  great 
a  slave  to  it  as  others  are.  When  it  is  oflfered  to  you  in 
this  way,  think  of  the  conduct  of  Omiah^  a  native  of  Ota' 
heite,  who  was  brought  to  London  by  Captain  Furneaux  ; 
when  a  certain  Lord  presented  him  his  golden  SnufT-box, 
and  invited  him  to  take  some ;  the  innocent  savage,  hav- 
ing gained  little  acquaintance  with  European  refinement, 
bluntly  replied :  **  I  thank  you,  my  Lord,  my  nose  is  pot 
hungry." 

You  say,  "I  am  so  long  accustomed  to  it,  I  cannot 
leave  it  oflf."  Alas !  alas !  your  case  is  truly  deplorable, 
you  are  shorne  of  your  strength,  and  power  is  now  lack- 
ing to  bring  the  expostulations  of  conscience  to  good  ef- 
fect. However,  try :  see  what  God  will  do  for  you.  I 
knew  a  woman  in  the  east  of  this  kingdom,  who  had  ta- 
ken Snull^  and  immoderately  too,,Jor  the  space  oi  fifty 


•  So  inseparable  an  attendant  is  Drinking  oh  Smoking,  that 
In  some  places  the  same  word  expresses  both:  thus  Peena  in 
the  Benffalee  language,  signifies  to  drink  and  to  smoke. 

Raphael  Thorius,  in  the  Poem  mentioned,  p.  8.  very  omi- 
nously  attributes  the  first  discovery  and  use  of  this  herb  to 
Bacchus,  Silenus,  and  the  Satyrs!  (Drunkenness,  Gluttony, 
and  Lust)  and  yet,  the  Poem  was  written  in  /»rawe  of  it ! 


A   DISSERTATION   ON    TOftACCO.  243 

years.  With  a  person  who  frequently  visited  at  hAr 
house,  and  who  was  as  fully  attached  to  the  SiiufT-box  as 
herself,  she  aj^reed  to  leave  it  off;  and  that  the  first  who 
took  any  should  forfeit  a  doze  a  of  wine  to  the  other.  In 
a  short  time  she  got  uneasy,  by  and  by  miserable,  and 
lastly  ran  quite  distracted....She  was  thf^n  obliged  to  re- 
sume it.  Not  long  after,  hearing  the  preachi  ig  df  the 
people  called  Methodists,  she  was  deeply  convinced  of 
sin,  and  converted  to  God.  From  the  Band-Rules  of 
that  Society  she  learned  that  she  could  not  have  a  Band- 
ticket  till  she  had  lift  it  off.  To  give  it  up,  she  was  ter- 
ribly afraid,  remembering  what  she  had  suffered  before 
on  that  accoimt.  However,  she  thought,  Tlien,  I  did  it 
in  7ny  omti  strength  :  Now,  I  will  do  it  in  the  strength  <ff 
ijOD.  She  did  so;  threw  away  her  Snuff-box,  and  ab* 
stained  from  it  ever  after,  and  never  suffered  the  slightest 
inconvenience  in  consequence. 

A  very  intelligent  Physician  has  just  now^  favoured  me 
with  the  following,  which  is  nearly  a  similar  case...."  A 
Igentleman  who  was  in  the  habit  of  taking  Snuff  very 
freely,  was  frequently  affected  with  stomach  complaints 
and  difficulty  of  breathing,  attended  with  great  prostra- 
tioQ  of  strength,  depression  of  spirits,  and  other  nervoui 
symptoms.  He  w  as  besides  often  afflicted  with  a  teasing 
tidtling  coiigh,  and  inability  to  utter  his  words,  which  to 
him  was  a  circumstance  peculiarly  distressing,  as  he  was 
e  public  speaker.  Several  tonic  and  stomachic  medi- 
cines were  tried,  but  to  very  little  purpose :  at  length  he 
^as  advised  to  abandon  his  Snuff-box;.... he  did  so,  and 
the  happiest  effects  were  speedily  produced.  The  free 
use  of  his  speech,  appetite,  and  easy  respiration,  were  re- 
stored; and  all  his  other  symptoms  soon  disappeared." 

A  near  relation  of  my  own  had  been  a  slave  to  it  for 
nearly  40  years.  I  strongly  advised  her  to  leave  it  off' 
but  she  had  received  the  common  absurd  opinion  tliat  she 


244  A   DISSBRTATION   ON   TOBACCO. 

should  lose  her  health,  if  not  her  life,  in  the  attempt.  I 
endeavoured  to  shew  her  that  her  fears  were  groundless, 
and  urged  the  former  advice  :....she  thought  me  undutiful, 
if  not  cruel.  I  then  desisted.  In  a  short  time  she  be- 
gan to  reflect  more  seriously  on  the  business,  and  resolv- 
ed in  the  strength  of  God  to  give  it  up  :....she  did  so ;  and 
her  health,  which  had  been  in  a  very  shattered  state, 
began  soon  to  improve ;  in  a  short  time  she  was  restored 
to  a  state  of  entire  convalescence,  and  now  enjoys  a  state 
of  mental  and  corporeal  vigour  unusual  to  persons 
of  such  an  advanced  age.  She  is  now  about  seventy, 
and  for  the  six  last  years  in  which  she  has  abandoned  this 
destmctive  practice,  has  steadily  witnessed  to  the  Pipe 
and  Snuff-box-Slaves,  the  mercy  of  God  which  has  res- 
cued her  "  from  the  body  of  this  death."  Many  similar 
cases  of  reformation  among  Tobacco-consumers  I  could 
adduce,  did  the  nature  of  the  Pamphlet  require  it. 

To  conclude.  I  am  sorry  that  in  writing  on  this  vile 
subject,  I  have  been  obliged  to  use  some  words,  the  pla- 
ces of  which  I  should  have  been  glad  to  have  supplied 
with  others  of  a  more  agreeable  sound,  and  more  easy  to 
be  understood ;  but  as  these  were  the  only  appropriate 
terms  I  could  find,  my  Readers  will  accept  this  as  a  suf- 
ficient apology  for  my  using  them ;  and  those  who  under- 
stand the  subject,  will  at  once  perceive,  that  I  could  not 
have  easily  found  terms  less  offensive  and  less  difficult. 

Some  of  the  most  disagreeable  things  relative  to  the 
practice,  against  which  I  have  been  writing,  are  still  be- 
hind the  curtain  ;  and  designedly  detained  there  :....and 
it  is  THERE  ALONE  where  I  wish  every  persevering 
smoker  to  seek  for  a  certain  vessel  named  the  Sp-tt-ng- 
dish,  ^vhich,  to  the  abuse  of  all  good-breeding,  is  frequentr 
ly  introduced  into  public  company.  May  thci^  and  their 
implements,  while  engaged  in  this  abominable  worK 
be  ever  kept  OUT  OF  SIGHT  ! 


A  DISSERTATION   ON    TOBACCO.  245 

Our  noble  King  James  finishes  his  piece  on  the  same 
subject,  as  follows :  "  A  custom  loathsome  to  the  eye,  hate- 
ful to  the  nose,  harmful  to  the  brain,  dangerous  to  the 
lungs,  and  in  the  black  stinking  fume  thereof,  nearest  re- 
sembling the  horrible  Stygian  smoke  of  the  Pit  that  is 
bottomless."....CouNTERBLAST,  4to.  London,  printed  by- 
Baker  and  Bill,  1616. 

From  the  Title  of  this  Dissertation,  it  may  be  sup" 
posed  that  I  should  have  spoken  of  the  Use  of  Tobacco 
as  an  article  of  commerce,  producing  a  very  extensive 
annual  revenue  to  the  state.  Most  heartily  I  wish  the 
state  and  its  governors  unceasing  prosperity,  but  am  sor- 
ry that  any  thing  should  become  an  important  object  of 
Finance,  which  is  prejudicial  to  the  health  of  his  Majes- 
ty's subjects.  That  the  revenue  arising  from  it  is  great, 
the  preceding  pages  have  sufficiently  proved ;  and  as  the 
Imports  and  Consumption  are  increasingly  extravagant, 
the  Duties  must  rise  in  proportion.  But  in  the  end,  it  is 
to  be  feared,  that  the  use  of  it  will  not  greatly  promote 
the  true  interest  of  the  nation.  The  King's  gloiy  and 
safety  consist  not  less  in  the  strength  and  energy  of  his 
subjects  than  in  their  multitude.  However,  I  will  leave 
its  importance  as  an  article  of  commerce  to  the  Financiei-s, 
and  neither  trouble  myself  nor  my  Readers  any  farther 
at  present  on  the  subject. 


X  2 


AN 

ADBR.TESS 

TO   THB 

PHILOLOGICAL  SOCIETY 

OP 

MANCHESTER, 

READ  AT  THE 

ANNIVERSARY  OF   THEIR  INSTITUTION, 
SEPTEMBER  28,  1804. 


BY  ADAM  CLARKE,  LL.  D. 

PRINCIPAL    LIBRARIAN    TO    THE    SURRY    INSTITUTION, 

AND 

AUTHOR  OP  THE  COMMENTARY  ON  THE  HOLY  BIBLE. 


Quid  est  optabilius  Sapientia  ?  Qyid  prsstantius  ?  Quid  homini  melius »  Quid 
bomine  dignius?  Hanc  igitur  qui  expetunt  Philosophi  noniiriantur:  nee  quid- 
quam  aliud  Philosopliia,  si  interpretaii  veils,  quam  Studium  Sapientix.  Sapientia 
autcm  est  rerum  divinarum,  et  huinanarum,  causarumque  quibus  hae  res  conti- 
nentur  Scientia. 

Cicero,  De  Officiis^  lib.  2.  c.  2. 


NEW-YORK: 

PUBLISHED  BY  E.  SARGEANT,  AND  GRIFFIN  AND  RUDD  ; 

AND  J.  F.  WATSON,  PHILADELPHIA. 

Paul  and  Thomas,  Printers. 


1812. 


TO   THE 


PRESroENT  AND  CORRESPONDING  MEMBERS 


MANCHESTER  AND   LIVERPOOL  PHI 
LOLOGICAL  SOCIETY, 

THIS  ADDRESS 


RESPECTFULLY  DEDICATED 


THEIR    AFFECTIONATE    SERVANT 
AND    ASSOCIATE, 

ADAM  CLARKE. 


ADVERTISEMENT. 


JL  HOUGH  nothing  less  than  the  pressing  solicitations, 
and  unanimous  request,  of  the  members  of  the  Philologi' 
cat  Society,  could  have  induced  the  Author  to  print  this 
Address,  yet  the  reader  must  not  imagine  that  they  are 
responsible  for  any  of  its  imperfections. ...these  belong  to 
the  Author  alone ;  for  though  the  Paper  was  read  be- 
fore the  Society,  it  was  niver  revised  nor  corrected  by 
them. 

Some  apology  perhaps  should  be  made  for  that  minute 
derivation  of  words  which  is  given  in  those  places  where 
the  terms  of  science  occur :  but  when  it  is  known  that 
this  is  an  invariable  custom  in  the  Society,  which  re- 
quires its  members  to  define  all  their  terms,  and  shew  in 
what  sense  thy  use  them,  in  order  that  none  may  be 
misled  by  improper  or  arbitrary  explanations  of  words, 
the  apology  will,  it  is  hoped,  appear  scarcely  necessary. 
Both  the  name  and  design  of  the  Institution  require  par- 
ticular attention  to  this  subject ;  and  it  has  long  appear- 
ed to  the  members,  as  the  only  way  in  which  precision 
and  (Accuracy  could  be  hoped  for ;  as  those  who  do  not 
properly  understand  the  terms  of  science,  are  not  likely 
to  comprehend  the  things  of  which  such  terms  are  the 
signs. 


ANNIVERSARY  ADDRESS,  ^c. 


GENTLEMEN, 

J.T  is  customary  for  the  Members  of  Literary  Socictici- 
to  expect  and  receive  aii  Annual  Discourse  from  theii- 
Presidents,  either  on  the  nature  and  design  of  tlieir  In- 
stitution, or  on  tlie  objects  to  which  their  farther  atten- 
tion should  be  directed.  The  situation  in  which  your 
kindness  and  partiality  have  placed  me,  necessarily  causes 
this  duty,  on  the  Anniversary  of  your  Society  to  devolve; 
on  me ;  a  duty  wliich,  if  my  abilities  were  equal  to  my 
wishes,  should  be  performed  in  the  most  satisfactory 
manner;  as  every  thing  relative  to  the  honour  and  pros- 
perity of  the  Society  interests  the  warmest  wishes  of  my 
heart. 

Nearly  three  years  have  elapsed  since  the  Philological 
Society  first  received  its  form  and  nani^  m  Liverpool : 
and  twelve  months  are  completed  dare  its  extension  to, 
and  consequent  establishment  in,  this  town;  and  though 
discouragingly  small  in  its  commencemeat,  and  for  seve- 
ral months  very  slow  in  its  progress,  il  has  now  acquired 
a  degree  of  consistency  and  energy,  which  the  original 
members  could  have  scarcely  even  hoped  for  in  so  short 
a  period. 

The  slowness  of  its  growth,  (by  which  the  patience  and 
hope  of  its  founders  were  so  particularly  exercised,)  is 
probably  no  unfavourable  omen :  the  oak,  the  honour  of 
the  forest,  the  most  serviceable  and  durable  of  trees,  ac- 
quires bulk  and  solidity  by  almost  imperceptible  degrees, 
V 


254  AN   ADDRESS   tO    THE 

and  requires  a  century  to  bring  it  to  perfection.  So  has 
God,  the  fountain  of  goodness  and  wisdom,  ordained,  that 
the  most  excellent  things  should  require  much  time  and 
toil  to  bring  them  to  perfection,  that  they  might  be  ex- 
pected with  ardour  in  their  approach,  highly  valued 
when  communicated,  and  preserved  with  that  care  and 
attention  which  their  importance  and  usefulness  appear  to 
demand.  In  the  animal,  vegetable,  and  intellectual 
world,  the  most  useful  things  attain  perfection  by  slow 
gradations;  and  many  of  them  can  only  be  preserved 
during  their  comparatively  short  day,  by  circumspect  at- 
tention and  sedulous  care.  This  observation  will,  I  hope, 
suggest  to  your  minds  the  necessity  of  diligence  in  all  your 
operations,  and  patient  pei-severance  in  looking  for  the  re- 
alization of  your  wishes.  For,  though,  according  to  the 
saying  of  the  wise  man,  "Hope  deferred  maketh  the 
heart  sickf'  yet  the  same  authority  asserts,  that  "when 
the  desire  cometh,  it  is  a  tree  of  life." 

It  has  often  afforded  me  matter  of  pleasing  reflection, 
that  the  ground  which  Providence  directed  us  in  the  be- 
ginning to  choose,  was  the  most  favourable  we  could  pos- 
sess. We  solicited  no  eminent  characters  in  the  literary 
world  to  come  in  to  our  assistance.  Such  might  have  felt  it 
a  disparagement  to  have  stooped  so  low  as  was  nccessar}-, 
in  order  to  work  with  us  at  the  foundation  of  our  Institu- 
tion: nor  could  we  have  attenipted-4o  begin  with  thom, 
without  incurring  the  censure  of  aiming  at  heights  of  lite- 
rature, as  yet  far  beyond  our  reach^  We  at  once  dis- 
covered, that  the  distance  between  them  and  us  was  too 
great  to  be  passed  suddenly  over;  and  we  were  all  deep- 
ly conscious  that  he  who  would  acquire  solid  learning  and 
useful  science,  must  commence  with  the  painful  though 
necessary  task  of  patiently  learning  the  elements  of  both. 
Those  who  might  have  assisted  us,  favoured  us  only  \nih 
theii-  good  wishes :  others  wondered  that  we  should  at- 


PHILOLOGICAL   SOCIETY.  255 

tempt  to  form  a  Literary  Society  with  what  they  thought 
such  inadequate  resources,  and  stood  silently  by  to  marl^ 
our  operations  and  progress :  and  a  few  others,  like  the 
Samaritans  of  old,  appeared  to  be  wroth,  and  had  great 
indignation,  saying,  **  What  mean  these  feeble  men  ?  Will 
they  fortify  themselv  es  ?  Will  they  revive  the  stones  out 
of  the  heaps  of  rubbish  ?....And  what  is  the  stone  Avail 
which  they  build  ?  Shall  not  even  a  fox,  if  he  go  up  on 
it,  break  it  down  ?"  Neh.  iv.  1....3.  To  these  reproaches 
we  were  not  inattentive,  though  we  took  care  not  to  re- 
sent them ;  they*  stimulated  us  to  an  increase  of  diligence, 
and  our  wall  (thank  God !)  w  as  completed,  "  because  the 
people  had  a  mind  to  work."  ver.  6. 

What  I  have  further  to  say  on  the  subject  of  our  pre- 
sent meeting,  I  shall,  for  the  sake  of  perspicuity  and  me- 
thod, arrange  in  the  following  order. 

I.  I  shall  take  a  general  view  of  the  Nature,  Design, 
and  proposed  Utility,  of  this  Institution. 

II.  Consider  the  Character  of  the  Persons  who  con- 
stitute the  Society. 

III.  Examine  the  Field  in  which  they  have  to  labour. 

IV.  What  may  reasonably  be  expected  from  the  con- 
joint exertions  of  the  different  Membei*s ;  and, 

V.  Give  some  Directions  relative  to  the  Prosecution 
and  success  of  our  work. 

I.  The  Natui-e,  &c.  of  this  Institution. 

It  Avas  an  object  of  importance,  and  of  some  difficulty, 
to  fix  on  such  an  appellative  as  would  serve  at  once  to 


250  AN   ADJBRESS   TO    THE 

distinguish  the  Society,  and  ascertain  the  object  of  its 
pursuits.  A  title  dignified  enough,  but  modest  and  unas- 
suming, was  unanimously  agreed  on :  and  our  Institutioa 
was  named  the  Philological  Society.  We  all  professed 
to  be  Philologists,  and  wished  that  term  to  be  understood 
ID  its  proper  grammatical  meaning,  Lovers  or  Friends  of 
Literature.  We  did  not  at  our  commencement,  we  do  not 
DOW,  pretend  to  be  possessed  of  the  thing :  we  say  we 
love  it ;  and  we  profess  to  pursue  it.  And  should  the  In- 
stitution itself,  or  any  of  its  productioas,  come  before  the 
jmblic,  we  wish  to  be  understood  in  tliis  sense  only.  We 
profess  to  be  scholars  m  the  proper  acceptation  of  the 
term,  i.  e.  learners  ......and  learners  too  who  wish  to  im- 
prove themselves  for  the  sole  purpose  of  being  useful  in 
Givil  society.  Hence  we  have  in  our  printed  Rules  de- 
fined our  object  to  be  the  following:  "To cultivate  Lite- 
rature and  Science  in  general,  and  thus  to  gain  useful 
knowledge  in  order  to  diffuse  it." 

The  well-guarded  field  of  useful  science  lies  widely  ex- 
tended before  us :  the  indolent  will  not  enter,  and  the  self- 
confident  cannot  scale  its  walls :  but  even  the  formation 
of  such  an  Institution  as  this,  opens  at  least  the  gate  of 
its  nearest  boundary.  We  see  that  we  mai/  enter;  and 
we  are  convinced  that,  when  entered,  we  may  pro- 
ceed in  a  path  that  is  pleasant,  and  in  a  way  that  is  pro- 
motive of  prosperity  and  peace. 

The  great  Creator  originally  formed  the  human  Mind 
rather  with  a  capacity  for  wisdom,  than  in  a  state  of  con- 
summate knowledge :  for  it  does  not  appear,  that  when 
be  made  man  he  endued  him  with  his  full  perfection  of 
capacity  and  attainment.  He  gave  him  the  most  enlarged 
and  noble  powci-s :  he  fixed  him  in  the  centre  of  an  infi- 
nity of  objects,  which  all  stood  in  certain  references 
to  liis  nature  and  circumstances ;  and  he  found  himself,  by 
the  beneficence   of  his  Creator,  capable  of  examining 


FHIZiOLOGICAL    SOCIETY.  267 

their  relations  and  connexions ;  of  investigating  theii*  na- 
ture and  properlies,  and  of  ascending  by  tlie  scale  of  cre- 
ated things  up  to  that  fountain  of  wisdom,  power,  and 
goodness,  from  which  their  being  and  preservation  were 
derived. 

Man,  I  tlierefore  conceive,  was  created  in  the  capaci- 
ty of  a  scholar :.... he  had  an  aptitude  to  learn;  was  op- 
posed by  neither  outward  nor  inward  hindrances;  he  had 
all  the  means  of  knowledge,  and  even  God  himself  con- 
descended to  become  his  instructor.  How  lessons  of  wis- 
dom were  conveyed  to  his  mind  by  his  august  Teacher, 
it  would  be  perhaps  presuming  too  far  to  pretend  to  say :.... 
we  may,  however,  innocently  suppose  that  he  had  some 
from  the  direct  inspii*ation  of  the  divine  Spirit;  and 
others  thixHigh  the  medium  of  that  wondrously  variega- 
ted and  beautiful  creation,  with  which  he  was  surround- 
ed. And  considering  his  destination^  we  may  naturally 
conclude,  that  ueitlier  of  those  means  of  instraction  with- 
drew itself  from  his  pious  and  scientific  researches. 
Knowledge,  therefore,  is  the  etement  in  which  God  de- 
signed the  soul  should  live,.. ..the  knowledge  of  the  Cre- 
ator and  his  works.  But  though  the  same  teaching 
is  continued,  yet  there  is  not  any  suitable  progress  made, 
because  the  mind  has  not  tlie  same  capacity  to  receive  in- 
struction; therefoi-e  knowledge  must  be  now  acquired  by 
slow  degrees;  and  as  it  is  suited  to  man  in  his  ^odaZ  state, 
it  in  most  respects  requu*es  the  assistance  of  society 
to  bring  even  any  branch  of  it  to  tolerable  perfection. 
Hence  the  necessity  not  only  of  schools  and  academies, 
but  ako  of  literary  associations..  He  must  have  a  con- 
tracted view  indeed  of  the  nature  of  science,  and  of  the 
ebjecls  of  knowledge,  who  does  not  feel  the  necessity  of 
the  assistance  of  those  who  are  engaged  ia>  similar  ptir- 
suits  with  himself. 

Y  2 


:io3 


AN    ADDllESS    TO    THE 


The  necessity  of  associations  is  felt  in  erery  department 
of  life.  The  friends  of  religion  separate  themselves 
from  the  follies  and  vanities  of  the  world,  and  endeavour 
to  build  up  each  other  in  their  holy  faith:  for  this 
purpose  they  unite  in  Christian  fellowship,  according  to 
tlieir  different  opinions  and  modes  of  worship,  and  strength- 
en each  others'  hands  in  the  best  of  causes.  Without  this 
necessary  step,  even  holy  resolutions  often  not  onTy  pro^ 
duce  no  good  elTect,  but  frequently  fail  before  the  influ- 
ence of  what  an  inspired  writer  terms  evTre^iTccrci  uf^a^- 
siecv,  the  well  circwnstanced  sin. 

An  ancient  writer  deplores  the  fate  of  "  him  who  falls 
wlien  he  is  alone ;"  and  perhaps  it  is  because  he  is  alone 
that  he  falls;  and  he  metaphorically  adds,  "a  threefold 
cord  is  not  easily  broken :"  from  which  we  may  learuj 
that  religious  fellowship  is  essentially  necessary  to  the 
preservation  and  perfection  of  the  Christian  character. 

Men  in  the  vralks  of  civil  and  commercial  life,  are  con- 
vinced  of  the  same  truth.  Hence  the  larger  commercial 
corporations,  and  sraallercompanies  of  merchants,  trades- 
men, and  adventurers.  One  furnishes  capital,  another 
experience  in  business :  one  sagacity,  another  strength  : 
one  prudence,  another  oeconomy :  one  resolution  to»com- 
mence  an  important  imdertaking,  and  another  perse- 
verance and  courage  to  execute  what  had  been  comr 
menced.  Thus,  each  is  the  helper,  of  his  felloAv ;  and 
from  the  conjoint  exertions  of  so  many  powers,  the  pro- 
duce not  only  becomes  greater  to  eadi  individual  than  he 
could  have  possibly  acquired  by  himself;  but  property 
becomes  more  accumulated  in  the  first  instance,  and  in 
the  end  more  effectually  and  universally  diffused. 

It  would  be  strange  indeed  if,  with  such  examples  be- 
fore their  eyes,  the  cultivatoi-s  of  science  and  literature 
had  not  apprehended  the  advantages  to  be  derived  from 
such  institutions.     They  have ;  and  availed  themselves  of 


PfflLOLOGlCAL    SOCIETY.  259 

them,  and  by  these  means  the  republic  af  letters  has  been 
greatly  benefited.  Hence,  as  was  before  hinted,  our 
public  scliools  where  one  teaches  many,  and  hence  our 
Royal  Society,  Society  of  Antiquarians,  Society  of  Arts 
and  Sciences,  &c.  where  the  members  teach  and  learn  in 
tlieir  turns. 

But  is  it  not  plain,  that  there  is  a  vast  distance  between 
common  schools  and  the  Societies  above  mentioned  ?  and 
is  it  at  all  likely,  that  a  person  can  pass  from  the  humble 
walks  of  the  former  into  the  sublime  regions  of  the  latter, 
(were  the  way  even  open  to  modest  merit,)  without  passing- 
through  some  connecting  medium  ?  The  distance,  as  was 
before  observed,  is  too  great,  and  most  travellers  must 
halt  by  the  way.  But  where  is  the  place  of  refreshment 
and  rest?....To  this  question  it  would  be  diflficult  to  give 

a  satisfactory  reply. To  leave  metaphor  :  there  is  no 

literary  Society  forming  a  connecting  link  between  pub- 
lic schools  and  those  eminently  learned  bodies  already 
mentioned,  by  which  science  may  be  cultivated  and  diffu- 
sed through  the  middle  walks  of  life.  All  are  either  too 
highy  or  too  low :  and  most  having  no  means  beyond  the 
school  which  they  have  already  passed  through,  of  in- 
creasing their  knowledge,  rest  throughout  life  with  the 
school-boy's  attainments.  No  wonder  then  that  genuine 
philosophy  and  elegant  literature  rest  so  much  in  their 
respective  fountains,  seeing  tliat  very  few  have  either  the 
means  or  capacity  of  travelling  to  the  source;  and  the 
keepers  of  the  springs  are  not  only  averse  from  diffusing 
tlie  healing  waters  abroad,  but  by  a  variety  of  means  ren- 
der the  approaches  extremely  difficult.  This  defect 
should  be  supplied ;  and  in  this  respect,  the  Pliilological 
Society  will,  I  hope,  form  a  nev/  and  auspicious  ffra  in 
the  annals  of  literature.  Tliough  we  profess  to  be  scho- 
lars in  the  proper  sense  of  the  word,  yet  we  are  not  such 
iu  the  lov/est  sense : 


260  AK    ADDRESS    TO    THB 

— '—nos  nianum  ferulae  suhdiiximus  f 

but  "vve  pretend  not  to  rank  with  the  eminently  learned ; 
we  only  aim  at  filling  up  the  middle  state  between  the 
higher  and  lower  classes  of  literature.  And  as  we  aim  at, 
and  labour  for,  improvement,  we  cannot  of  course  descend  f 
and  the  advantages  of  our  association  may  enable  botk 
ourselves  and  others  to  make  a  respectable  approach  to 
those  who  noAv  shine  brightest  in  the  zodiac  of  useful 
knowledge.  At  any  rate  we  cannot  but  be  benefited  by 
our  own  exertions,  and  be  better  fitted  to  fill  up  usefully 
the  dilTerent  places  assigned  us  by  the  divine  Providence. 
Man  was  created  that  he  might  receive  and  dispense  the 
wisdom  and  goodness  of  God.  All  were  formed  depend- 
ent upon  each  other :  for  no  man  lives  unto  himself. 
Those  to  wliom  the  divine  goodness  has  intrusted  useful 
talents,  should  improve  them :  and  those  to  whom  manjr 
are  intrusted,  should  endeavour  to  help  those  who  have 
but  few. 

Our  aim  is  to  profit  ourselves  and  others ;  and  there- 
fore we  have  unauintously  agreed  to  banish  from  our 
speculations  and  discussions  whatever  does  not  tend- 
to  promote  the  honour  of  God,  and  the  welfare  of  man.. 
We  have  properly  excluded  from  all  our  debates  every 
point  in  theology  and  politics,  on  which  both  the  great  and 
the  good  differ ;  and  on  whicli  it  is  perhaps  impossible  in 
the  present  state  of  things  perfectly  to  agree :  and  we  have 
ehosen  those  alone  in  which  the  wise  and  pious  of  every 
denomination  may  most  cordially  unite.  We  have  en- 
deavoured to  realize  wliat  tlie  sullen  bigot,  and  the  fieiy 
zealot,  have  deemed  ijiipossiblc,  viz.  a  truly  fraternal  and 
i^cientific  consociation  of  persons  widely  differing  from 
each  other  in  their  religious  creeds ;  and  we  have  been 
blessedly  successful.  In  this  infant  Society,  Catholics 
;»nd  Protestants,  Churchmen  and  Dissenters,  Unitarians 


PHIJ.OLOGICAL    SOCIETY.  2tJ'l 

and  Trinitarians,  with  sectaries  of  different  kinds,  are 
happily  and  usefully  blended  together;  and  our  Associa- 
tion exhibits  the  fullest  proofs,  that  men  of  widely  differ- 
ing Creeds  may  most  cordially  love  one  another,  and  la- 
bour together  for  the  public  good. 

II.  Having  traced  this  general  outline  of  the  Nature, 
Design,  and  Utility,  of  our  Institution ;  I  come  now  to 
consider  the  Character  of  tlie  Persons  who  constitute  the 
Society,  and  should  always  be  the  objects  of  our  choice. 

Our  Rules  hav€  already  decided,  that  scientific  persons 
of  all  religious  sects  and  parties  are  equally  eligible :  not 
because  we  are  careless  about  religion,  the  greatest  boon 
of  heaven,  or  consider  it  to  be  a  matter  of  trivial  or  se- 
condary concern ;  God  forbid !  but  because  we  are  not  bi- 
gots ;  and  because  we  know  that  religious  disputes  are  not 
only  disowned  by  the  tme  religion  itself,  but  abhorred  by 
solid  literatui'e.     Yet  while  we  have  shewn  ourselves  in- 
different as  to  any  man's  creed,  we  have  expressed  a  be- 
coming solicitude  for  the  maintenance  of  that  pure  moral- 
ity which  is  founded  on  piety  to  God,  and  benevolence  to 
man.     Hence  the  immoral  and  the  profane  are  excluded 
from  associating  with  us :   and  for  this  we  have  given  a 
reason,  as  durable  as  the  truth  from  which  it  sprung,  viz. 
"That  no  person  can  successfully  cultivate  those  sci- 
eiices,  the  end  of  which  is  to  promote  the  glory  of  God, 
and  benevolence  among  men,  whose  conduct  is  not  con- 
formed to  the  unchangeable  principles  of  integrity  and 
truth."     He  therefore  who  rejects  the  authority  of  what 
we  believe  to  be  a  divine  revelation ;  who  would  attempt 
to  weaken  the  bonds  by  which  civil  society  is  united ;  or 
decry  those  same  principles  by  which  its  members  are  go- 
verned and  rendered  happy.     He  who  would  disturb  the 
peace  of  the  quiet,  and  by  doubtful  disputations  unhinge 
the  minds  of  ihe  simple  and  unreflecting,  and  eudeavouj? 


262 


AN    ADDRESS    TO    THE 


to  tura  the  unwary  out  of  the  way  of  peace  and  rational 
subordinatior^  can  have  no  seat  among  the  members  of 
this  Institution. 

But  sucli  negative  qualifications  are  not  sufficient. 
We  cannot  accept  a  man  merely  because  he  is  good  and 
harmless :  an  ardent  love  for  knmvledge,  accompanied  with 
seal  and  ability  to  promote  it,  must  ever  be  considered 
essential  qualifications  for  eveiy  member  of  this  Society. 
Each  must  work  :....each  must  contribute  his  quota  one 
way  or  other  to  the  general  stock.  He  who  does  not  la-- 
hour,  can  neither  improve  himself,  nor  do  good  to  others. 
We  must  imitate  the  fcee^.... while  all  are  dependent  oa 
the  common  stocky  all  are  obliged  to  contribute  towards 
it.     They  suffer  no  idlers  : 

Fucos  ignavum  pecus  aprcecepibus  arcent : 

the  drones,  who  will  not  work,  are  expelled  by  the  in- 
dignant labourers  from  partaking  of  the  luscious  proceeds 
of  the  general  toil.  Our  Rules  require  us  to  regulate 
our  conduct  by  the  same  plan ;  and  though  the  condition 
in  Rule  Xth,  "  that  each  member  shall  provide  an  origi- 
nal paper  in  his  turn,"  (which  is  with  us  a  sine  qua  no7i,) 
may  be  deemed  hard,  yet  we  shall  ever  find  it,  as  we 
have  hitherto  done,  essential  to  the  consistency  and  exist- 
ence of  our  Institution.  For  should  we  make  the  gate 
wider,  and  admit  members  on  easier  terms,  the  work 
would  necessarily  devolve  on  a  few,  and  they  must  soon 
be  oppressed  or  exhausted.  Besides,  experience  suf- 
ficiently proves,  that  he  Avho  takes  no  decided  part  in 
a  business  of  this  nature,  will  be  careless  about  its  pros- 
perity, because  in  it  he  has  no  stake.  If  a  man  plant  even 
a  thorn  in  his  garden,  and  carefully  water  and  prune  it, 
it  becomes  dearer  to  him,  because  it  is  the  fruit  of  his 
own  industry  and  toil,  than  even  the  peach-tree  on  which 


PHILOLOGICAL   SOCIETY.  2ft3 

he  has  bestowed  no  lal^ur.  Honorary  members  may  be 
proper  enough  in  literary  institutions  which  have  been 
long  established,  and  whose  resources  are  vast;  yet  any 
considerable  number  of  these,  must  not  only  be  useless, 
but  baneful,  in  such  a  Society  as  this,  where  only  from 
conjoint  earnest  labour  a  stock  of  literary  good  can  be 
produced.  And  permit  me,  Gentlemen,  to  add,  that  he 
who  labours  in  the  rich  mine  of  science,  shall  surely  be 
repaid :  and,  in  ihis,  as  well  as  in  other  cases,  \\\e  labourer 
alone  is  wortiiy  of  his  hh'c. 

In  the  choice  of  members,  while  attending  to  the  letter 
of  our  rules,  we  may  possibly  be  too  scrupulous.  We 
may  oft.  n  meet  with  young  men  who  have  an  ardent 
thirst  for  useful  knowledge,  from  whose  abilities  and  at- 
tainments, at  present,  little  profit  can  be  expected ;  but 
with  proper  care  and  encouragement  they  may  become 
not  only  useful,  but  ornamental  members  in  the  Society. 
To  diese  we  should  give  the  right  hand  of  our  literary 
fcUoAvship ;  and  for  a  time  permit  them  to  grow  amo;  g 
us,  without  exactiijg  any  fruit:  this  Avill  come  in  due 
time ;  for  il  there  be  but  the  buds  of  genius  they  must 
ripen  in  so  temperate  a  climate,  and  in  so  favourable  a 
soil.  It  would  be  impossible  for  such  to  attend  the  dis- 
cussions of  this  Society  without  gaining  useful  informa- 
tion, and  having  the  latent  sparks  of  genius  elicited.  Such 
persons  we  should  take  gently  by  the  hand,  and  kindly 
lead  them  through  the  rugged  entrance,  into  the  delight- 
ful walks  of  useful  knowledge.  Wherever  Ave  find  an 
eai-nest  thirst  after  science,  there  we  may  reasonably  in- 
fer is  a  capacity  for  improvement :  but  if  this  ardent  de- 
sire be  absent,  no  other  qualification  can  ever  supply  its 
place.  Our  Society  therefore  should  ahvays  be  a  recep- 
tacle for  the  wise,  and  for  those  who  desire  to  become  such. 

III.  I  am  next  to  examine  the  Field  in  which  the 
Members  of  this  Ir;stitutioQ  are  called  to  labour. 


^4  AN    ADDRESS   T&  THE 

As  we  have  assumed  the  title  of  Philological  Society, 
philology  of  course  should  be  the  principal  object  of  our 
pursuit.  Philology,  m  the  modern  acceptation  of  the 
word,  is  not  so  properly  a  science,  as  an  assemblage  of 
several.  It  includies  Grammar,  Criticism,  Etymology, 
the  Interpretation  of  ancient  Authors,  Poetiy,  Rhetoric, 
History,  and  Antiquities ;  in  a  word  eveiy  thing  relating 
to  ancient  manners,  laws,  religion,  government,  language, 
&c.  "  In  this  enlarged  sense  of  tlie  word,  Philology  be- 
comes a  science  of  the  greatest  utility,  opens  a  wide  field 
«f  intellectual  investigation,  and  calls  for  a  more  intense 
exertion  of  industry  and  multifarious  ei-udition,  than  most 
of  those  departments  of  literature  Avhich  custom  has  dig- 
nified with  more  h^gb-so^^inding  names."....Encyc.  Brit 
ai*tic.  Philology.  PhHologj^  according  to  other  critics, 
"  is  a  species  of  universal  literature,  which  treats  of  all 
the  sciences,  their  origin,  progress,  the  authors  who  have 
cultivated  tliem,  &c."  But  anciently  Philology  was  un- 
derstood in  a  more  limited  sense :  it  was  then  only  a  part 
of  granmiar,  and  seems  to  have  signified  no  more  than  a 
thorough  knowledge  of  language,  and  tlie  use  and  bene- 
fits of  regular  and  well  constructed  discourse. 

The  first  person  who  bore  the  title  of  Philologist,  (pt- 
AoAayo?  according  to  Suctojiiiis,  was  Eratosthenes,  one  of 
the  librarians  of  Ptolemy  Philadelphus,  king  of  Eg}  pt, 
who  flourished  about  200  years  before  the  Christian  a^ra. 
He  is  said  to  have  cultivated  Poetr}%  Grammar,  Philo- 
sophy, and  the  Mathematics.  He  was  the  first  Avho 
found  out  the  ingenious  method  of  measuring  the  cir- 
cumference of  the  earth,  now  well  knoAvn  to  all  Mathe- 
maticians.*    But  such  attainments  as  those  of  the  Egyp- 


*  This  celebrated  method  is  founded  on  Euclid,  Book  I. 
Prop.  28,  and  29.  "  If  a  rig-ht  line  fallinpf  upon  two  right  lines, 
make  the  exterior  angle  equal  to  the  interior  opposite  angle  of 
the  other  on  the  same  side ;  or  the  two  interior  on  the  same 


PHILOLOGICAIi    SOCIETY. 


^67? 


tian  philologist  must  not  be  expected  in  all  who  may  now 
bear  that  name ;  else  the  term  must  have  a  very  limited 


side  equul  to  two  right  angles,  then  are  the  right  lines  paral- 
lel/' Prop.  29.  *'  If  a  right  line  idling  upon  two  parallels, 
make  the  alternate  angles  equal,  the  exterior  angle  shall  be 
equal  to  the  interior  and  opposite  on  the  same  side  :  and  the 
two  interior  angles  on  the  same  side  shall  be  equal  to  two  right 
angles."...  These  propositions  Eratosthenes  applied  in  the  fol- 
lowing maimer.  He  supposed  that  two  rays  of  light,  proceed- 
ing from  the  centre  of  the  sun  to  two  points  on  the  earth,  were 
physically  parallel.  He  supposed  also  that  at  Syena,  a  town  in 
Egypt,  the  sun  was  in  the  zenith  on  the  day  of  the  solstice,  be- 
cause their  cisterns,  wells,  &c.  were  enliglitened  by  the  sun*s 
rays  to  the  bottom  He  then  measured  the  distance  from 
Alexandria  to  Syena.  To  see  his  de- 
monstration, let  us  suppose  Alexandria  _ 
to  be  situated  at  the  point  B,  and  Sye- 
na  at  the  point  A,  where,  let  the  style 
BC  be  erected  perpendicular  to  the  C 
horizon,  and  let  DF,  EC,  be  two  rays 
proceeding  from  the  center  of  the  svm 
when  in  the  solstice ;  which  rays  are 
parallels  between  themselves :  and  let 
DA,  that  ray  of  light  perpendicular  to 
S}enu,  be  supposed  to  be  continued  to  \i 
r,  the  center  of  the  earth.     Now  hav-      *\  y 

ing  observed  at  Alexandria  the  r.ngle  *"*♦-. -'"■" 

GOB,  which  is  included  between  the  perpendicular  CB,  and 
the  ray  of  light  EC  :  now  because  the  aforesaid  rays  are  pxa- 
rallel,  the  alternate  angles  GCB,  and  RFA,  are  equal.  From 
this  we  know  the  angle  ABF,  and  the  measure  of  AB,  the  dis- 
tance between  Alexandria  and  Syena,  taken  in  degrees.  Now 
supposing  this  distance  to  be  known  in  miles,  winch  is  easily 
effected,  the  circimfcrence  of  the  earth  may  be  readily  found 
by  the  simple  liuie  of  Three.  F-or  if  between  Alexandria  and 
Syena  there  be  so  many  dcgi-ees,  and  these  make  so  many 
^miles  ;  how  many  miles  will  360  degrees  make  T  .Odihy^eHnC' 
z 


266  AN   ADDRESS  TO   THB 

application  indeed.*  To  be  obliged  to  traverse  the  whole 
of  this  field,  would  be  a  severe  task,  for  which  few  have 
sufficient  leisure  or  abilities.  To  prove  this,  I  shall 
trace  only  a  few  of  the  outlines  of  the  principal  parts, 
and  leave  you  to  judge. 

1.  Grammar,  (from  yfetftitt*,  a  Letter,)  implies  not 
only  the  knowledge  of  the  elements  of  language,  but 
also  eveiy  thing  relative  to  concord,  government,  idiom, 
&c.  in  a  word,  the  art  of  speaking  any  language  with 
correctness  and  elegance.  How  difficult  this  is,  I  need 
not  inform  any  who  remembers  the  days  of  his  probation 
at  school,  where  the  most  intense  application,  excited  not 
only  by  the  fear-inspiring  ferula,  but  also  by  the  lauda- 
ble desire  of  excelling,  w  as  often  insufficient  to  acquire 
that  accuracy  necessary  to  the  language  itself,  and  which 
was  rigidly  exacted  by  a  stern  task-master. 

2.  Rhetoric,  (from  f  e&»,  I  speak,)  is  the  art  of  using 
language  properly,  so  as  to  speak  copiously  on  any  sub- 
ject, with  all  the  advantages  of  grace  and  energy ;  or,  ac- 
cording to  Lord  Bacon,  "  the  art  of  applying  and  address- 
ing the  dictates  of  reason  to  the  fancy,  so  as  to  affect  the 
will  and  desires ;  for  the  object  of  Rhetoric  is  to  fill  the 
imagination  w  ith  ideas  and  images,  which  may  assist  na- 
ture without  oppressing  it."     Rhetoric,  in  ancient  times, 


*  The  principal  Philologists  of  antiquity  were  Varro,  Asco- 
nius  Podianus,  Pliny  the  elder,  Lucian,  Aulus  Gellius,  Athe- 
nacus,  Jiilius  Pollux,  Solinus,  Philostratus,  Macrobius,  Dona- 
tus,   Servius,   Stobseus,  Photius,  Eustatbius,  Hesychius,  and 

Suidas Among  the  moderns,  the  chief  are,  the  Stephenses, 

the  two  Scaligers,  Tumebus,  Casaubon,  Lambinus,  the  Vos- 
siuses,  the  Ileinsiuses,  Erasmus,  Justus  Lipsius,  Sirmond,  Pe- 
tavius,  Rapin,  Gronovius,  Grxvius,  Du  Fresne,  Spelman,  John- 
son, and  Keyne.  To  tliese  may  be  added  the  Academies  whence 
philological  works  have  proceeded ;  Delia  Crusca,  Mess,  de 
Port  Royal,  L'Academie  Francoise,  &c. 


PHILOLOGICAL   SOCIETY.  267 

was  a  rare  qualification^  even  among  those  wlio  were  best 
acquainted  with  the  most  copious  and  elegant  language 
in  the  universe.  "  At  Athens  the  Rhetors  were  only  ten 
in  number,  and  were  a  sort  of  counsellors,  employed  to 
plead  public  causes.  To  this  office  no  man  was  admitted 
before  he  was  forty  years  of  age.  Valour  in  war,  piety 
to  parents,  prudence  in  the  management  of  secular  affairs, 
frugality  and  temperance,  were  necessar)^  qualifications 
for  this  office ;  and  each  candidate  underwent  an  exami- 
Dation  relative  to  these  virtues,  previous  to  his  election." 

3.  Oratory  is  nearly  allied  to  Rhetoric,  and  seems 
originally  to  have  had  the  same  meaning ;  (it  comes  from 
the  verb  aro,  I  speak,  Avhich  answers  to  the  Greek  peuy 
already  noticed.)  Among  the  Romans,  Rhetor,  or  Rhe- 
torician, signified  the  teacher  of  the  art  of  Orator}^;  and 
Orator,  the  person  who  practised  the  art  of  Rhetoric. 

This  is  perhaps  one  of  the  most  difficult  sciences  in 
the  whole  Cyclopaedia  of  Philology.  BTost  men  seem 
born  with  a  natiu'al  appetency  to  it;  and  yet  scarcely 
any  person  ever  excels  in  the  art.  Rome  in  all  its  glory, 
afforded  few  orators  of  note  besides  Cicero  and  Quinti- 
lian  ;  and  Greece  in  all  its  perfection,  could  add  but  few 
to  Isocrates,  Isceus,  and  Demosthenes.  Pretenders  to  tlie 
art  have  been  found  in  eveiy  country;  and  apes  of  the 
ancients  abound  in  our  own.  To  speak  copiously,  readi- 
ly, elegantly,  and  persuasively,  artfully  to  imitate  nature, 
and  yet  so  as  to  conceal  the  art  by  which  it  is  done,  are 
the  chief  qualifications  of  an  accomplished  orator. 

4.  Poetry,  {Trct^r^tu,  from  '^oibm,  I  make,  frame,  or  in- 
vent,) is  usually  defined  to  be  a  certain  bold,  noble,  eleva- 
ted, and  metaphorical  turn  and  manner  of  diction.  It  is 
not  only  the  art  of  composing  poems,  or  pieces  in  verse, 
but  a  proper  management  of  accent,  cadence,  cojmexion 
of  parts,  and  harmonious  collocation  of  terms.  All  which 
require  what  Raciae  calls,  Un  genie  crealeur,  a  creative 


268  AN   ADDRESS   TO   THE 

genius.  Aristotle  terms  it  re^vi,  fctfinrtKi],  the  imitative 
art,  because  it  is  supposed  to  copy  nature;  though  else- 
where he  defines  it  to  be  a  species  of  divine  plireuzy, 
ev^veo^  VI  TroturiKt)  cr/v  a  juscyrtKov  ;  and  hence  the  sayiogs  so 
liequently  occurring  in  classic  w riters,  Poeta  sunt  exta- 
tici ;....Saccr  furor  pocsis ;...,Divini  Poetce.  And  hence 
Cicero's  assertion,  Pocta  quisque  ma^nus  sine  furore  ess-e 
nan  potest.  Be  Divinat.  lib.  i.  c.  37.  And  in  his  Tuscu- 
lan  (Questions  he  adds,  aut  sine  coelesti  aliquo  nuntis  in- 
stinetu.  Tu&c.  Quaest.  lib.  i.  c.  26.  From  which  defini- 
tions and  opinions  we  may  plainly  see  that  Poetry  is  not  a 
science  which  can  ever  be  taught  by  art,  or  attained  by  in- 
dustiy ;  and  hence  the  ground  of  the  assertion,  "  He  who 
is  not  born  a  poet  will  never  make  one :"  and  therefore  I 
think  the  art,  as  it  is  termed,  should  never  be  considered 
as  constituting  a  part  of  philological  learning.  Cicero  con- 
siders Poetiy  and  Oratory  as  cognate  sciences  j  and  ob- 
serves, that  genuine  poets  have  been  always  scarce,  and 
real  orators  scarcer.  De  Orat.  lib.  i. 

Versification  may  indeed  be  attained  by  art,  and  there- 
fore dictionaries  of  rhymes  may  get  into  vogue;  but  ver- 
sification and  poetry  are  essentially  distinct  things.  The 
former  may  be  exhibited  in  dull  blank  verse,  or  jingling 
rhyme,  where  the  latter  never  existed  :  for  between  poets 
and  poetasters  the  distance  is  greater  than  from  pole  to 
pole. 

5.  ANTiauiTiEs....This  science  not  only  comprehends 
the  knowledge  of  ancient  ages,  nations,  people,  and  pla- 
ces ;  but  also,  descriptions  of  monuments,  remains,  ruins, 
Szc.  dissertations  on  ancient  coins,  medals,  inscriptions, 
manuscripts,  paintings,  busts,  and  the  like.. ..The  science 
of  antiquities  is  particularly  conversant  about  theremains 
of  the  fine  arts,  when  in  their  greatest  perfection  in  Greece 
and  Home;  especially  from  the  ago  of  Alexander  the 
Great,  to  the  reign  of  the  Emperor  Phocas,,  about  A.  D* 


PHILOLOGICAL    SOCIETY.  260 

600,  -when  Italy  was  overrun  by  the  Goths  aiid  Vandals. 
To  this  science,  histoiy,  chronology,  geograpliy,  and  even 
theology  itself,  are  greatly  indebted :  it  is  a  science  of  the 
utmost  importance  and  utility,  and  one  of  the  most  de- 
lightful witii  wliich  the  human  mind  can  be  entertained. 

6.  History.  {Wo^tx,  IVom  ito^hv,  to  know  a  thing 
hy  having  sccfi  it,)  is  usually  defined,  A  recital  or  de- 
scription of  tliiiigs  as  thei/  arc,  or  have  been,  in  a  continued 
orderly  narration  of  their  principal  facts  and  circumstan- 
ces. ''  Histoiy,"  says  Mr.  Chambers,  the  fatlicr  of  cyclo- 
pgedic  literature  in  these  nations,  ''is  divided  with  regard 
to  its  subject  into  the  History  of  Jiature,  and  tlie  History 
of  actions.  The  histoiy  of  nature,  or  natural  history,  is 
a  description  of  natural  bodies,  v/hetlier  terrestrial,  as 
animals,  vegetables,  fossils,  fire,  air,  water,  or  meteors ;  or 
celestial,  as  stars,  planets,  comets,  Arc."  The  first  part  oi 
this  definition  takes  in  a  description  of  tlie  animal,  vege- 
table, and  ndneral  kingdoms ;  comprehending  the  wJioIe 
system  of  Zoology,  Botany,  Mi-ieralogy,  and  CliCjiiistiy  : 
and  the  latter  iiicludes  the  whole  science  of  Astronomy, 
\^'ith  all  its  dependencies. 

The  history  of  Actions,  is  a  continued  relation  of  a 
series  of  memorable  events  in  the  affairs  either  of  a  single 
person,  a  nation,  or  several  persons  and  natio^^s ;"  whether 
these  events  have  taken  place  either  in  a  short  or  lon^- 
space  of  time. 

Histoiy  has  been  ^"ariousIy  subdivided,  as  into  sacred 
and  profane,  natural  and  civil,  personal  and  singular,  sin!» 
pie,  mixed,  and  figurative.  On  all  these  dilTerent  kinds 
of  liistoiy,  father  Menestri«er  has  treated,  and  given  curi- 
ous specimens  of  each.     See  Chambers, 

Were  I  permitted  to  give  my  own  opinion  of  History, 

it  would  be  the  following :  A  true  description  nnd  relation, 

from  actual  acquaintance,  of  certain  persons,  places,  and 

facts ;  in  which  account  nothing  is  exaggerated,  nothing; 

z  2 


270  AN    ADDRESS    TO    THE 

extenuated,  nothing  suppressed,  relative  to  the  persons  or  « 
facts  themselves,  or  their  predisposing  motives  and  cau- 
ses ;  and  nothing  set  down  either  through  malice  or  preju- 
dice.    Those  who  undertake  to  write  histories  of  pci^sons 
they  have  never  known,  places  they  have  never  seen, 
i'acts  they  have  never  witnessed,  and  times  in  which  they 
have  not  lived,  are  to  be  read  with  extreme  caution  and 
distrust;  unless,  in  the  principal  facts,  they  have  faithfully 
copied  those  who  had  a  personal  acquaintance  with  the 
subjects  of  their  histoiy,  and  scrupulously  detailed  the 
truth  without  disguise,  retrenchment,  or  addition.     But 
where  are  such  to  be  found  ?  From  historians  of  a  differ- 
ent character,  little  certainly  is  to  be  expected.     The 
writer  may  be  deceived,  and  so  deceive  others  :  or  it  may 
be  his  interest  to  falsify,  mis-state,  or  misrepresent,  the 
truth ;  and  from  such  an  one  correct  information  cannot 
be  obtained.     Multitudes  of  instances  of  voluntary  and 
involuntary  deception  miglit  be  produced  from  eveiy  wri- 
ter of  history,  from  Herodotus  to  the  present  day.     If  the 
historian  be  ?ifme  writer,  he  cannot  be  trusted  for  a  single 
page :  he  usually  sacrifices  every  thing  to  embellishment, 
and  is  every  moment  ready  to  supply  the  place  of  facts  by 
fiction.     I  am  afraid  that  most  of  our  modern  historians 
are  w  riters  of  this  class.     As  for  the  mis-statcrs^  they  are 
the  political  and  polemical  writers  of  all  parties :   these 
frequently  sacrifice  truth,  honour,  and  honesty,  to  serve 
their  own  cause.  And  as  most  historians  have  some  personal 
interest  either  in  thcur  narrative  or  the  success  of  it,  they 
always  take  care  to  steer  wi^e  of  those  subject?,  however 
important  or  true,  by  which  tliat  interest  might  be  preju- 
diced.    A  history  of  this  kind,  to  use  tlie  'pun,  is  but  his 
story,  or  her  story,  who  relates  it :  and  this  may  be  as  good 
as  any  story  ;  and  any  story  of*  equal  importance  witli 
it.     The  honest  and  industrious  Rapin,  and  the  laborious 
and    instructive   Henry,  may  be  well   exempted  from 


I'HILOLOGICAL    SOCIETY.  271 

all  censure  in  their  historic  compositions.  They  may 
have  sometimes  erred,  but  perhaps  never  consciously. 
They  may  be  often  flat,  sometimes  tedious,  and  seldom 
elegant ;  but  they  speak  the  truth  from  their  heart ;  and 
shine,  though  not  with  a  brilliant,  yet  with  a  steady  light. 
A  true  and  impartial  histoiy  in  every  respect^  can  only  be 
found  in  the  Book  of  God. 

7.  The  last  branch  of  Philology  to  which  I  shall  for 
the  present  solicit  your  attention,  is  Criticism,  (k^<t<- 
x«r|t6<»5,  from  »^/v^,  1  judge,)  or  the  art  of  judging  of  a  his- 
tory or  work  of  genius,  with  the  various  incidents  men- 
tioned in  it;  the  author,  style,  time,  motive,  &c. 

Criticism  is  a  vastly  extended  and  highly  useful  branch 
of  science.  The  accurate  Mr.  Chambers  divides  it  in 
the  folloAviug  manner. 

1.  Philosophic  Criticism,  or  the  art  of  judging  of  opi- 
nions and  hypoih'  sises  in  philosophy. 

2.  Theological  Ci'iticism,  OT  the  art  of  judging  of  ex- 
plications, doctrines  of  faith,  religious  creeds,  &c. 

3.  Political  Criticism,  or  the  art  of  judging  of  the  acts 
and  means  of  government,  acquiring  or  preserving  states, 
wholesome  or  unsound  laws,  taxation,  &;c. 

4.  Grammatical  Criticism,  or  the  art  of  inteipreting 
and  discovering  the  words  and  meaning  of  an  author. 

5.  Sacred  Criticism,  which  is  chiefly  employed  in  judg- 
ing concerning  ecclesiastical  matters :  the  history  of  the 
church,  the  w^ritings  and  lives  of  the  Fathers,  the  pro- 
ceedings of  councils,  the  meaning  of  expressions  in  the  sa- 
cred writings,  various  readings  in  the  MSS.  of  the  He- 
brew Bible  and  Greek  Testament :  different  editions  both 
manuscript  and  printed,  of  these  sacred  volumes ;  with 
whatever  tends  to  elucidate  the  ancient  customs,  manners, 
laws,  &c.  peculiar  to  the  people  of  w  hom  these  volumes 
treat,  and  the  times  in  w  hich  those  people  lived  to  whom 
tlie  sacred  oracles  were  originally  delivered. 


172  AN    ADDRESS    TO    THE 

6.  Literary  Criticism,  the  art  of  jiulgiiifi:  of  the  facts 
mentioned  in  history;  the  discernment  of  the  genuiuc 
"^rork  of  an  author ;  the  real  author  of  a  %a  ork ;  the  true 
readi'jg  of  a  text ;  and  the  art  of  discovering  suppositious 
monuments,  charters,  intei-polated  passages,  &c. 

7.  And,  lastly,  Criticism  of  Antiques.  This  consists  in 
distil  guishing  genuine  medals  and  busts,  with  the  dilTer^ 
ent  taste  and  spirit  found  among  them,  according  to  the 
people,  countiy,  and  time,  in  which  they  were  cut  or 
struck.  The  distinguishing  between  what  is  cast  and 
struck;  vhat  has  been  retouched,  repaired,  or  added, 
from  what  is  really  antique;  with  the  power  to  de«ypher 
and  explain  tliem.  This  science  ref[uires  a  very  exten- 
sive stock  of  knowledge,  which  seldoni  falls  to  the  lot  of 
an  individual:  for  such  a  person  as  the  Abbe  Winckle- 
mann,  in  the  ordinary  operations  of  nature,  can  be  expect- 
ed to  appear  but  once  in  a  century.  Thus  has  the  sci- 
ence of  Criticism  been  ramified  and  extended;  but  in  its 
original  and  proper  meaning,  it  signified  little  more  than 
good  connuon  sense  perfected  by  grammar  and  logic,  and 
applied  to  matters  of  simple  literature. 

I  know  noc  that  there  ever  was  an  age  which  abounded 
so  much  in  Critics  and  Criticism  as  the  present.  Critics 
are  now  multiplied  with  ease  and  rapidity,  because  the 
public  permits  many  persons  to  assume  the  character, 
who  are  destitute  of  the  essential  qualifications  for  tlieir 
office.  Deep  learning,  sound  sense,  and  good  nature^ 
seldom  appear  combined  in  the  works  of  our  modern  Cri- 
tics, the  Reviews  especially,  the  Monthhj  Review^  except- 
ed. A  Review  of  Reviewers  and  tlieir  works  is  t\ow 
a  desideratum  in  literature.  Were  such  an  one  under- 
taken by  a  society  of  divJLies,  philosophers,  antifjuarians, 
historians,  c^c.  on  the  true  principles  of  Criticism,  sound 
and  useful  learning  would  again  triumpli,  and  Criticast- 
ers, as  well  as  Poetasters,  ami  impure  Novelists,  would 


PHILOXeGlCAL    SOCIETY.  273 

be  expelled  from  tlie  republic  of  letters,  whicli  they  have 
long  disgraced  and  essentially  injured.  For  more  ou 
these  subjects  see  Chambers's  Cyclopaedia. 

From  this  hasty  and  imperfect  sketch  of  Philological 
Literature,  we  may  at  once  perceive  what  a  vast  and  ex- 
tensive field  is  open  before  us;  and  how  much  the  public 
may  be  led  to  expect  from  an  Association  honoured  by 
that  name  which  we  have  chosen  for  ours :  but  in  this 
ease  v.-e  recur  to  our  first  principles.  We  profess  to  have 
attained  none  of  these  in  any  tolerable  degree  of  perfec- 
tion ;  but  follow  after  the  whole,  wishing  especially  to  bend 
©ur  attention  to  those  branches  of  knowledge  by  which  we 
may  be  most  likely  to  profit  ourselves,  and  do  the  greatest 
good  to  others.  The  mark  of  perfection  may  appear  very 
remote,  and  greatly  elevated  :  but  this  must  not  discou- 
rage us ;  the  prize  can  never  recede  ;  and  our  earnest 
well-directed  exertions  will  ever  enable  us  to  approximate^ 
so  that  if  we  do  not  soon  obtain  the  object  of  our  wishes, 
we  shall  be  constantly  shortening  the  distance  between  it 
and  us ;  and  in  due  time  we  shall  reap  if  we  faint  not. 

IV.  I  come  now  to  consider,  what  the  Community  may 
reasonably  expect  from  our  conjoint  exertions. 

Thougli  the  cultivation  of  literature  merely  for  its  ovra 
»ake,  may  at  first  view  appear  to  have  been  the  primary 
object  of  our  pursuit,  yet  we  all  rejoice  in  being  able  to 
say,  "  It  is  not  so."  We  have  set  out  ou  a  plan  purely 
philanthropic ;  and  only  consider  our  own  improvement, 
in  reference  to  its  accomplishment,  as  a  secondary  object. 
We  purposed  to  do  good  according  to  the  power  we  might 
possess ;  and  a  purpose  so  necessary  to  the  fulfilment  of 
our  design,  and  so  honourable  to  ourselves,  should  never 
be  out  of  siglit.  Profligacy  of  manners  with  its  insepara- 
ble concomitants,  ignorance  and  miseiy,  pervade  espe- 


1274  AN   ADDRESS   TO   THE 

cially  the  lower  orders  of  society :  for  as  said  au  aucicnt 
prophet,  "  the  people  arc  destroyed  for  lack  of  knoav- 
LEDGE."  We  must  labour  to  find  out  means  to  instruct 
the  ignorant,  reclaim  the  profligate,  and  comfort  the 
wretched,  as  far  as  this  excellent  work  may  be  done 
through  the  medium  of  literature,  and  the  invention  of 
useful  arts.  Essays  on  cleanliness,  domestic  otconoray, 
the  proper  education  and  management  of  children  while 
at  home  with  their  parents,  the  best  methods  of  guarding 
against  contagion  and  disease,  with  every  other  matter 
which  may  tend  to  promote  the  health,  peace,  and  pros- 
perity of  mankind,  will  be  perfectly  in  place,  Avhen  pro- 
ceeding from  the  members  of  the  Philological  Society. 
Whatever  tends  to  promote  the  comfort  and  happiness  of 
the  meanest  family  upon  earth,  is  an  object  worthy  our 
most  serious  attention.  He  who  is  of  a  benevolent  heart, 
and  has  it  in  his  poAver  to  do  good,  in  any  form,  to  his  fel- 
loAv-creature,  enjoys  the  greatest  luxury  a  human  spirit 
can  possess  on  this  side  paradise. 

Do  good  unto  all,  but  especially  to  the  rising  genera- 
tion :  i'rom  these,  society  has  every  thing  to  hope  or  fear. 
Encourage  Sunday  Schools ;  assist  in  the  management  of 
them ;  bring  forth  and  recommend  rational  plans  of  edu- 
cation; and  smootli  as  far  as  you  can  by  appropriate 
treatises,  the  rugged  entrance  to  useful  learning. 

I  have  long  tliought,  that  the'  mode  of  teaching  the 
elements  of  language  and  science,  might  be  rendered 
much  more  pleasant  and  easy,  by  a  proper  attention  to 
that  simplification  of  which  they  are  susceptible.  Might 
not  the  members  of  this  Institution  employ  a  portion  of 
theu*  time  very  profitably  in  constructing  small  elemen- 
tary treatises  on  different  languages,  arts,  and  sciences* 
so  as  to  render  them  plain  and  easy  to  the  lowest  capa- 
city ?  One  might  write  a  short  and  easy  introduction  to 
the  English  tongue :    others  might  do  the  same  to  the 


PHILOLOGICAL   SOCIETY.  275 

Latiu,  Greek,  Hebrew,  French,  &c.  or  this  labour  might 
be  divided  among  a  committee  of  the  members. 

On  the  same  plan  of  smoothing  the  path  of  science, 
others  might  compose  elementary  treatises  on  Arithmetic, 
Geography,  Astronomy,  Chronology,  History,  Geometry, 
Trigonometry,  &c.  keeping  a  constant  eye  to  simplicity, 
perspicuity,  and  brevity,  and  thus  form  a  series  of  tracts, 
•which  might  be  published  at  a  small  expense,  and  exten- 
sively calculated,  that  every  intelligent  child  might  have 
a  proper  key  to  unlock  all  the  difficulties  of  the  introduc- 
tory parts  of  language  and  science. 

I  am  sufficiently  aware,  that  on  all  these  subjects  there 
have  been  many  tracts  published,  possessing  various  de- 
grees of  merit :  but  I  have  two  serious  objections  to  all 
I  have  ever  seen :  they  are  too  Img^  and  too  complex. 
Most  grammarians,  and  other  writers  on  the  elements  of 
language  and  science,  have  written  more  for  the  learned 
than  for  the  ignorant.  Difficulties  by  which  themselves 
were  hampered  in  the  commencement  of  their  literary 
career,  they  have  either  forgotten,  or  think  too  trivial  to 
be  noticed.  But  he  who  wishes  to  instruct  a  child,  must 
remember  that  he  was  once  a  child  himself,  and  that  he 
should  lower  himself  to  the  child's  capacity,  both  in  his 
conceptions  and  language.  Simple  and  essential  Rules 
should  be  first  proposed:  irregularities  and  exceptions 
should  be  kept  out  of  sight  till  the  child  has  mastered  the 
others ;  else  he  is  likely  to  be  confounded,  and  so  dis- 
couraged. This  however  is  seldom  attended  to,  and  in 
consequence  the  education  of  youth  is  greatly  retard- 
ed, and  rendered  extremely  difficult  to  the  teacher  and 
painful  to  the  scholar. 

The  great  length  of  such  treatises  is  a  serious  evil. 
What  can  a  child  think  of  that  language  or  science,  the 
entrance  to  which  is  comprised  in  upwards  of  one  hun- 
dred pages  ?    He  is  at  once  discouraged  at  the  prospect 


2/6  An  a»dr£S3  to  the 

that  lies  before  him ;    and  no  wonder.     To  teach  the 
Greek  only  of  the  New  Testament,  Mr.  Parkhurst,  for 
instance,  abndgcs  Dr.  Busby's  grammar,  and  produces 
one  in  94  4to.  pages!    Mr.  Cornelius  (now  Dr.)  Bayly, 
has  published  a  very  useful  Hebrew  grammar,  which  he 
terms,  "  An  Entrance  into  the  Sacred  Language,"  which 
he  says  "  is  digested  in  so  easy  a  manner,  that  a  child  of 
seven  years  old  may  arrive  at  a  competent  knowledge 
of  the  Hebrew  scriptures  with  very  little  assistance." 
For   this  purpose  he  employs  232  pages  duodecimo! 
What  can  a  child  of  seven  years  old  do  with  such  a  mass 
of  elementary  instmction !    Mr.  Parkhurst,  on  the  other 
hand,  comprises  all  the  necessary  rules  of  this  language 
in  a>siRgle  sheet.. ..The  common  Eton  grammar,  independ- 
ently ol'  what  is  called  its  "  Coiirtructiou."  occupies  no 
less  than  116  octavo  pages ;  and  Mr.  Bell's  Greek  gram- 
mar, the  best  as  yet  of  its  kind,  contains  in  the  fifth  edi- 
tion 188  pages.  English  and  French  grammars  are  swell- 
ed out  in  proportionable  magnitude.    This  is  a  great  evil, 
and  loudly  calls  for  redress.   Nothing  should  be  connected 
with  an  elementary  treatise  that  is  not  strictly  deniMta- 
ry.  This  is  the  grand  mistake  of  the  preceding  respectable 
grammarians :  they  have  annexed  to  and  interv  oven  with 
their  grammars  what  should  have  been  published  as  a 
separate  volume,  with  a  distinct  and  more  appropriate 
name.     A  variety  of  instances  of  9- similar  kind  might  be 
here  adduced ;  but  what  is  already  noticed  will,  I  hope, 
shew  you  the  necessity  of  sotncthiig  being  done  to  shorten 
and  simpUjy  the  road  to  useful  science  and  general  litera- 
ture. If  we  essentially  serve  the  community,  we  must  be- 
gin with  the  risipg  generation. 

We  have  much  rcaison  to  rejoice  that  useful  knowledge 
is  every  day  more  grrif  rally  diffused  among  the  lower 
classes.  Bnt  to  what  is  this  owing  ?  Principally  to  the 
eXtciJBion  of  rcLigimis  knewktlgc.     Practical  and  expert- 


PHILOLOGICAL   SOCIETY*  27*7 

mental  divinity,  which  had  been  long  shut  up  in  the  wri- 
tings of  past  ages,  has  been  brought  forth  into  the  light 
the  vigorous  threatenings  and  alluring  promises  of  the 
word  of  God,  have  been  forcibly  applied  to  the  hearts  of 
the  multitude,  not  merely  in  cathedrals  and  churches,  but 
in  great  and  small  villages,  and  from  house  to  house. 
Through  the  mercy  of  God,  that  Religion  which  before 
appeared  to  be  stationary  began  to  itinerate.  The  peo- 
ple became  inquisitive  after  the  things  which  concerned 
their  present  and  eternal  welfare.  This  disposition  led 
them  to  read;  and  by  reading  they  became  informedo 
Thus  Religion  went  before,  and  useful  Knowledge  as  her 
handmaid  followed  after.  Even  Philosophy  herself  took 
the  hint  from  Religion,  and  began  also  to  itinerate  ;  and 
the  nation  can  now  boast  of  itinerant  philosophers,  as 
well  as  of  itinerant  preachers.  We  have  now  our  travelling 
town  and  village  Lecturers  on  Anstronomy,  Chemistry, 
Electricity,  Galvanism,  Hydrostatics,  Pneumatics,  Sic. 
with  their  7wwm^  apparatus,  as  we  have  our  itinerant 
Evangelists.  Thus,  according  to  an  ancient  prediction  of  a 
divinely  inspired  man,  "  Many  have  run  to  and  fro,  and 
knowledge  is  increased."  Dan.  xii.  4.  Even  booksellers 
have  become  itinerant  over  the  whole  land,  and  Lectu- 
rers on  Elocution  and  Oratoiy  perambulate  the  nation, 
thundering  and  whispering  in  eveiy  market-town.... But  I 
may  safely  assert,  that  tliis  itineration  of  philosophy  never 
properly  commenced  till  religion  became  itinerant.  We 
should  not  therefore  give  that  honour  to  the  effect  which 
is  due  unto  the  cause  ;  nor  sliould  we  despise  the  fountain, 
because  we  are  supplied  by  the  streams.  While  we  are 
duly  thankful  that  useful  information  in  arts  and  sciences 
is  brought  to  our  doors  in  the  lectures  of  itinerant  scien- 
tific men;  let  us  look  up  with  great  respect  to  our  noble 
Universities,  where  Philosophy  sits  "full  orbed  in  her 
A  a 


278  AN    ADDRESS    TO    THE 

whole  round  of  rays  complete ;"  and  while  we  rejoice  that 
the  profligate  through  the  lower  ordei-s  of  society  have 
had  the  truth  brought  to  their  houses  and  hearts  by  itine- 
rant preachers,  let  us  look  up  with  reverence  to  our  Ca- 
thedrals, Parish  Churches,  and  other  established  pla- 
ces of  divine  worship,  where  religion  is  either  rendered 
respectable  by  her  august  and  significant  ceremonies,  or 
amiable  by  her  native  dignity  and  genuine  simplicity. 
On  either  hand  men  run  into  exti*emes :  let  it  be  our  bu- 
siness to  avoid  them.  By  whomsoever  good  is  done,  God 
is  the  original  fountain  whence  it  proceeds,  and  he  is  ho- 
nourable in  the  meanest  instruments  which  he  condescends 
to  employ. 

V.  I  should  now  give  you  some  Directions  relative  td 
the  farther  improvement  of  our  Institution,  and  the  suc- 
cess of  our  work ;  but  this  has  been  nearly  anticipated  al- 
i-eady. 

Our  Rules  and  Regulations  have  been  the  result  of 
deep  thought  and  mature  deliberation.  AVe  have  tried 
thera,  and  have  found,  that  they  fully  answer  the  end  for 
which  they  w^re  formed.  On  them,  as  its  basis,  the  Socie- 
ty Avas  built :  remove  them,  and  the  ruin  of  the  edifice  is 
unavoidable.  They  arc/r/y,  sinij)Ie,  and  easif,  and  should 
be  strictly  attended  to,  and  strongly  enforced.  Never 
permit  one  to  be  broken....admit  of  no  lax  interpretations 
of  any  :....keep  up  both  their  letter  and  spirit  on  all  occa- 
sions, and  wliile  you  conscientiously  keep  your  laws,  your 
laAvs  will  keep  you.  A  wide  field  of  usefulness  is  opened 
to  your  view... .you  have  already  gained  much  good, 
and  done  much  good  to  those  who  were  more  immediate- 
ly connected  with  you.  The  time  I  hope  is  at  hand,  in 
which  your  exertions  must  be  directed  to  the  benefit  of 


PHILOLOGICAL    SOCIETY,  279 

the  public:  therefore  endeavour  to  gain  much,  that  yoa 
may  have  much  to  spend.  Union  is  essential  to  your  in- 
crease and  continuance :  keep  firmly  and  affectionately 
united,  and  let  every  member  feel  it  his  duty  and  inter- 
est to  serve  the  Institution. 

Be  not  forgetful  of  the  source  whence  all  good  must 
proceed ;  and  that  necessary  dependence  which  every  in- 
telligent creature  must  have  on  its  Creator,  not  only  for 
its  own  continued  existence,  but  also  for  its  well-being. 
The  Vata,  or  great  Indian  fig-tree,  has  a  kind  of  radica- 
ting virtue  in  all  its  branches  ;  so  that  when  they  are  bent 
down  to  the  earth,  they  take  root  while  connected  with 
the  parent  stock;  and,  by  this  means,  out  of  one  tree 
a  whole  forest  may  be  formed ;  this,  though  composed  of 
hundreds  of  trees,  may  notwithstanding  be  said  to  have 
but  ofie  stem.  To  this  tree  the  Hindoo  sages  compare 
knowledge :...." It  has  its  branches,"  say  they,  "below, 
and  its  roots  on  high."  By  which  expressive  allegory 
they  intimate,  that  he  who  wishes  to  acquire  knowledge, 
and  teach  it  others,  must  depend  on  God,  the  fountain  of 
that  wisdom  which  is  profitable  to  direct ;  as  from  Him 
alone  truth,  without  mixture  of  error,  is  to  be  expected. 

And  now.  Gentlemen,  permit  me  to  say,  that  I  feel  my- 
self quite  in  my  place  when  I  conclude  with  observing, 
That  while  we  earnestly  and  diligently  use  every  mean 
in  our  power  for  the  increase  of  our  knowledge,  we 
should  piously  look  to  the  Father  of  Lights,  from  whom 
every  good  and  perfect  gift  proceeds ;  and  who  has  pro- 
mised to  give  wisdom  with  a  liberal  hand  to  all  who  call 
upon  hisi.  From  such  influence,  and  such  exertions, 
great  good  may  be  expected,  and  by  them  much  good 
must  be  done.  May  we  all  follow  on  to  know  this  Foim- 
tain  of  living  wisdom,  till  we  find  his  goings  forth 
as  cheering  and  luminous  as  the  morning ;  and  his  returns 
as  refreshing  and  salutary  as  the  latter  rain  ! 


AN 

EXTRACT  FROM  THE  RULES 

CF  THE 

PHILOLOGICAL  SOCIETY. 


InPHYSicA  Caw^a  quaerendi,  inExHicA  OrJo  vivendi, in  Lo- 
ciCA  ^fl«o  intelligendi  versatur. — Isidor. 


OBJECT   OF    THE   SOCIETY. 

To  gain  useful  knowledge  in  order  to  diffuse  it, '....to 
cultivate  Literature  and  Science  in  general,  polemic 
Politics  and  polemic  Divinity  only  excepted. 

NUMBER    OF   RESIDENT   MEMBERS. 

Not  to  exceed  thirty  ;  but  to  admit,  on  its  own  rules, 
corresponding  members  to  the  amount  of  fifty. 

WHO   MAY   BE   ADMITTED    MEMBERS   OF     THIS   SOCIETY- 

Scientific  persons,  of  all  religious  sects  and  parties,  (for 
jScience  knows  nothing  of  religious  divisions :)  and  as  the 


82  RULES    OF   THE 

Rules  preclude  all  controversies  on  religion  and  poli= 
TICS,  consequently  that  union  and  good  understanding, 
which  are  essential  to  all  institutions  of  this  nature,  can 
never  be  impaired,  how  different  soever  the  religious  te- 
nets of  the  Members  mviy  be.  But  no  person  shall  be  ad- 
mitted as  a  Member,  who  is  not  of  an  unblameable  moral 
conduct ;  nor  be  continued  as  one  after  he  has  forfeited 
that  character ;  as  the  members  of  this  Institution  are  of 
opinion,  that  no  person  can  successfully  cultivate  those 
Sciences,  the  end  of  which  is  to  promote  piety  towards 
God,  and  beneficence  towards  men,  whose  moral  conduct 
is  not  conformed  to  the  unchangeable  principles  of  integ- 
rity and  tmth. 

CONDITIONS    ON    WHICH    MEMBERS    ARE    ADMITTED. 

No  person  shall  be  admitted,  either  as  a  resident  or  cor- 
responding Member,  but  on  the  following  conditions,  1st, 
of  his  producing  an  original  Paper,  on  some  question 
proposed  by  the  Society ;  or  on  some  subject  of  his  own 
choosing,  immediately  connected  with  the  object  of  the 
Institution;  or  2dly,  an  original  Translation  of  some 
useful  and  important  matter,  taken  from  any  of  the  dead 
or  living  languages,  European  or  Asiatic ;  or,  3dly,  an 
EXTRACT  from,  or  epitome  of,  som& important  and  useful 
work,  which  is  either  too  voluminous  to  be  easily  read, 
too  scarce  to  be  readily  met  with,  or  too  dear  to  be  pur- 
chased by  the  generality  of  readers. 

N.  B.  Recent  Publications  of  every  kind  are  exclu- 
ded from  the  provision  in  this  last  Clause :  ancient,  and 
COMPARATIVELY  ANCIENT  woiks,  shall  alouc  be  the  sub- 
jects of  such  epitomizing  or  abridgment.. ..No  person  is 
exjjected  to  produce  a  paper  previmts  to  his  admission. 

As  soon  as  a  paper  is  read,  the  subject  of  it  shall  be 
freely  and  minutely  discussed  by  the  Society^  and  each 


PHILOLOGICAL    SOCIETY.  283 

Member  shall  speak  in  his  turn  without  interruption,  once 
for  all  on  that  subject,  unless  by  way  of  explanation.  But 
in  this,  and  all  such  cases,  the  President  shall  have  power 
to  prevent  desultoiy  and  irrelevant  conversation;  and 
to  determine  when  enough  has  been  said  on  the  point.* 


*  During  the  reading  of  a  paper,  each  Member  takes  minutes 
of  whatever  appears  to  him  correct,  elegant,  and  beautiful,  on 
the  one  hand  ;  or  redundant,  deficient,  incorrect,  or  in  any  way 
objectionable  on  the  other.  When  the  reading  is  over,  the  au- 
thor himself  prepares  to  take  down  the  observations  of  the  dif- 
ferent Members.  The  Members  are  then  called  on  by  the  Pre- 
sident to  deliver  their  opinion,  When  all  have  spoken,  the  au- 
thor rises  to  explain,  &c.  The  President,  then,  having  collect- 
ed the  opinions  of  the  Members,  and  with  it  collated  the  au- 
thor's explanation  and  defence,  shews  in  what  points  the  pa- 
per may  be  corrected  and  improved,  recommending  the  author, 
as  far  as  his  own  understanding  and  judgment  may  permit,  to 
availhimself  of  the  criticisms  of  his  associates,  and  correct  or 
amend  his  paper  accordingly.  A  certain  time  is  then  appoint- 
ed for  the  revisal,  which  is  generally  what  the  author  himself 
thinks  necessary,  at  the  end  of  which  he  delivers  his  paper,  re- 
vised  and  corrected,  into  the  hands  of  the  President,  to  be  pre- 
served for  the  use  of  the  Society. 


FINIS. 


